| christian grantham | |||
| Christian Grantham was a student activist in the late 90s and later a consultant to domestic policy forums for the Clinton Administration as well as events for HRC and GLAAD. | |||
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April 10, 2005
Republicans Launch Congressional Assault on Judiciary
The Texas Republican on Friday suggested an impeachment case could be made against judges who rebuffed Congress' will in the Schiavo case. As the severely brain-damaged Florida woman faded, Congress passed a law allowing federal courts to review the decisions of state judges who turned down her parents' efforts to resume her feeding. But state and federal judges all the way up to the Supreme Court upheld those decisions.Health care, Education, Protecting Tom DelayArguing that federal courts had "run amok," largely because Congress failed to confront them, DeLay said: "Judicial independence does not equal judicial supremacy."
[DeLay in Hot Water Again - FOXnews - 4-10-05]
The Republicans said the strategy combines leaks from DeLay allies about questionable Democratic trips and financial matters; denunciations of unfavorable news stories as biased, orchestrated rehashes; and swift, organized responses to journalists' inquiries.Republican Leadership: 'Down With American Democracy'The resistance was launched two weeks ago when DeLay flew back to Washington from Texas during Easter recess to speak to a group of about 30 conservative leaders who had gathered in the conference room of the Family Research Council for a call to arms on his behalf.
[DeLay's Backers Launch Offense - Washington Post - 04-10-05]
What Rep. DeLay is attempting to do is to inflame religious passions to further his reckless and destructive assault on the courts. He argued at the conference that federal courts have "run amok" largely because Congress has failed to control them. He said the proper response "is to reassert (Congress') constitutional authority over the courts."But Congress doesn't have that authority, beyond narrowly defined roles such as Senate confirmation of federal judges and impeachment powers in the case of criminal behavior. Otherwise, judicial independence is a cornerstone of the constitutional separation of powers that defines the American system of checks and balances. Conservatives should understand that.
[Tom DeLay's jihad - Louisville Courier-Journal - 04-10-05]
filed under: Sunday Read
March 27, 2005
Anti-Marriage Republicans
"It certainly resonates with us," said Buckel, director of marriage-related activities for Lambda Legal. "If folks look at this situation and see that a spouse is struggling to carry out the wishes of his loved one, imagine what folks face when they don't even have access to the spousal relationship because they can't get married."'Sanctity of Marriage' At all Costs
[For gays, it happens all the time - Newsday - 03-27-05]
Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Judge Stuart Friedman said Wednesday that domestic-violence charges cannot be filed against unmarried people because of the state's recently enacted definition of marriage. Friedman reduced a felony domestic-violence charge to a misdemeanor assault charge.Virginia Is For LoversFriedman said the ruling applies specifically to the case, but advocates said they believe its impact will be felt statewide because appeals likely will reach the Ohio Supreme Court.
[Domestic-violence rulings unsettling - Cincinatti Enquirer - 03-27-05]
In effect, the legislation, pushed by a coalition of business and gay-rights organizations, permits an insurer and employer to decide who would be covered under a group accident and sickness insurance policy.It "provides a long-overdue option to Virginia businesses," Gov. Mark R. Warner said in a statement yesterday. "It allows private employers to extend group accident and sickness coverage to any class of persons agreed upon by the insurer and the group policyholder."
[Health coverage for gay couples set - Richmond Times Dispatch - 03-26-05]
filed under: Sunday Read
March 20, 2005
Playing Politics with Life
An unsigned one-page memo, distributed to Republican senators, said the debate over Schiavo would appeal to the party's base, or core, supporters. The memo singled out Sen. Bill Nelson (D-Fla.), who is up for reelection next year and is potentially vulnerable in a state President Bush won last year."This is an important moral issue and the pro-life base will be excited that the Senate is debating this important issue," said the memo, which was reported by ABC News and later given to The Washington Post. "This is a great political issue, because Senator Nelson of Florida has already refused to become a cosponsor and this is a tough issue for Democrats."
[Congress Steps In on Schiavo Case - Washington Post - 03-20-05]
Denise Fairchild was artificially inseminated in 1997. She raised her son with her lesbian partner Therese Leach until the couple split in 2001. Now Fairchild wants to deny her former partner visitation rights, and she's citing Ohio's new constitutional ban on gay marriage. Since they were never legally married under Ohio law, Fairchild claims, Leach does not have the rights of a former spouse. Leach's attorney argues that the amendment doesn't apply to parent-child relationships. "I'm using a piece of legislation that will deny me rights later in life," Fairchild says. "But before I am a lesbian and a member of the gay community, I am his mother."
[Gay-Marriage Bans: The Boomerang Effect - TIME - 03-28-05]
filed under: Sunday Read
March 13, 2005
When Religious Law Rules
Homosexuality is a criminal offence in Saudi Arabia, a deeply conservative Muslim kingdom which implements a strict version of Sharia Islamic law. Convicted murderers, rapists and drug traffickers are usually executed in public.The Least Of TheseThe ministry said the two men were executed in the northern town of Arar, close to the border with Iraq.
Saudi Arabia has put to death at least 21 people so far this year. At least 35 people were executed last year and 53 in 2003.
[Saudi Executes Gay Lovers for Killing Pakistani - Reuters - 03-13-05]
The Episcopal Church was thrown out of a key council of the worldwide Anglican Communion last month over the ordination of an openly gay man as a bishop. Rowan Williams, archbishop of Canterbury and spiritual leader of the 77 million-strong denomination, has said the issue threatens to tear the church apart.Now, Tomorrow, Forever!The Methodists, Presbyterians and Lutherans, all of whom have made recent statements or are about to do so, are troubled by the idea of rejecting gay members but cannot bring themselves to full acceptance. Catholics, Mormons, most Baptists and evangelical Christians all reject sexually active gay people, in spite of currents within those churches urging greater acceptance.
[Gays seek place in religious life - Arizona Republic - 03-13-05]
On Thursday, the Alabama Senate approved Sen. Hinton Mitchem's bill to amend the Alabama Constitution by adding a ban on same-sex marriage. Like all proposed constitutional amendments, it must be approved by voters in a referendum.Crystal MessProponents of the measure say that such a ban would affirm the traditional view of marriage as being solely between a man and a woman. Opponents believe it discriminates against gays and could promote violence against the gay and lesbian community.
[Same sex ban bound for vote - Montgomery Advertiser - 03-13-05]
The risk is stark: Meth is a highly addictive, sex-enhancing stimulant that dissolves inhibitions. If infected gay men become users and abandon safe sex, cases of HIV/AIDS could multiply with potentially devastating results."When men with HIV take meth, they're not taking [AIDS] medications as prescribed ... and [are] transmitting the virus to others who are not infected," said Dr. Dan Berger, medical director at North Star Health Care, the largest private HIV treatment center in Chicago. "It's an unprecedented problem."
[Meth use adds to ravages of AIDS - Chicago Tribune - 03-13-05]
filed under: Sunday Read
March 06, 2005
Government Censorship Fuels Anger
Believing that their government and their public television station had let them down, some angry Presbyterians took programming matters into their own hands.Texas Justice: Slow Roast Edition"We decided what is best for our community and that is to give parents the choice to have their children view this episode," said Diana Bruce, a church member who is married to a man (not that there's anything wrong with that) named Bart Oosterveld. They have two children, Emma, 3, and Sebastian, 1.
[What Has Floppy Ears And a Subversive Tale? - Washignton Post - 03-06-05]
CBS's 12-minute segment, called "The D.A. and Tom DeLay," has been anxiously awaited by Republicans since correspondent Lesley Stahl asked DeLay questions about the investigation during a Capitol Hill news conference in January on tsunami relief.Acting Out HateDeLay and his GOP colleagues are trying to keep the focus on Social Security and the rest of President Bush's agenda for a second term. But DeLay has been unable to escape relentless media attention to his ethics problems and the Texas criminal and civil cases alleging wrongdoing by a political action committee he helped to create.
[Prosecutor Balks When Asked If DeLay Is Target of Tex. Probe - Washington Post - 03-06-05]
"I heard him yelling, and then I heard the phone drop and hit the ground," said King, recounting the events of early last Friday morning when her best friend got beaten up by a small group of college-age men. "Like two minutes later, this random girl picked up the phone and said 'are you his friend? You'd better get over here. He's at the corner of Franklin and Columbia.' "
[Gay-bashing victim changed by attack - Herald Sun - 03-06-05]
filed under: Sunday Read
February 27, 2005
Crisis in public education
The nation's governors offered an alarming account of the American high school Saturday, saying only drastic change will keep millions of students from falling short."We can't keep explaining to our nation's parents or business leaders or college faculties why these kids can't do the work," said Virginia Democratic Gov. Mark Warner, as the state leaders convened for the first National Education Summit aimed at rallying governors around high school reform.
[Governors Work to Improve H.S. Education - AP - 02-27-05]
Virginia Is For Lovers
A proposed constitutional amendment to ban gay marriage in Virginia easily won final approval Saturday by both chambers of the General Assembly.The measure would have to be approved again by the Legislature next year and ratified by voters in the 2006 general election before it would become part of the Virginia Constitution.
[Va. Lawmakers OK Proposed Gay Marriage Ban - AP -02-27-05]
Afront to Catholic Bigotry
Assigned by the Brazilian government to a backwater factory town, 27-year-old prosecutor Joao Gilberto Goncalves has turned the obscure post into anything but, using it to mount the country's first serious effort to legalize gay marriage.
[Young Prosecutor Roils Brazil with Gay Marriage Case - Reuters - 02-27-05]
STD crisis among irresponsible gay men
A Nassau County man has been diagnosed with a rare sexually transmitted disease, the first case in the county and one of seven around the country.The Nassau County Department of Health has confirmed that the man has Lymphogranuloma Venereum, a form of chlamydia. The disease's symptoms can be serious -- rectal pain and bleeding, and sores. The disease can also increase the risk of HIV transmission.
[New York Suburb Has First Case of Rare STD - AP - 02-26-05]
The prevalence of HIV infection in blacks doubled in the last decade while remaining stable among whites, according to the federal government's most detailed, ongoing survey of the U.S. population's health.The findings, presented to a gathering of AIDS researchers here Friday, is further evidence the nation's AIDS epidemic is becoming a scourge disproportionately suffered by African-Americans.
[Study: AIDS hitting blacks the hardest - Star Tribune - 02-27-05]
filed under: Sunday Read
February 20, 2005
PnP
It's Saturday evening in Manhattan, and three dozen men are crammed into a one-bedroom suite in an upscale hotel across from Ground Zero. After shelling out $20 apiece to the man who organized tonight's event over the Internet, the guests place their clothes in Hefty bags for safekeeping and get down to business and pleasure. A muscular man in his mid-30s sits naked on the sofa and inhales a "bump" of crystal methamphetamine. Within minutes, he's lying on the floor having unprotected sex with the host of tonight's sex party, whose sunken cheeks, swollen neck glands and distended belly betray the HIV infection he's been battling for years. In the bedroom, a dozen men, several of them sweaty, dehydrated and wired on meth, are having sex on the king-size bed. There's not a condom in sight. "It's completely suicidal, the crystal and the 'barebacking' [unprotected anal sex]," says one of two attendees who described the scene. "But there's something liberating and hot about it, too."Gannongate
[Party, Play—And Pay - Newsweek - 02-28-05]
Breaking his silence on the events, which have been portrayed by Democrats as a Republican effort to manipulate news, Eberle said "it took me by surprise" in early 2003 when the freelancer he had taken on as Jeff Gannon said he was gaining White House accreditation under his given name, James D. Guckert.Eberle, 36, an aerospace engineer with a yen for conservative politics, said the disclosure raised no red flags about Guckert's journalistic credentials or professionalism.
[Web site operator knew of reporter's two IDs - Houston Chronicle - 02-20-05]
No one is laughing now, because Gannon was far from being a harmless distraction. He was writing under a false name and working for a Republican front organisation. Suddenly, his 'softball' questions to White House officials looked less like eccentricities and more like plotting by an administration which has frequently displayed a dark mastery of the arts of press control.In The Navy
[The mole, the US media and a White House coup - Guardian - 02-20-05]
Commodore Docherty said the navy had a code of conduct, including a “no touching” rule, that was no different for same sex and heterosexual relations. “We do rely heavily, just as we have done with having women at sea (since 1991), on common sense and good manners.” He admitted the navy was irritated by the fascination in popular culture with the camp behaviour of gay seafarers — reflected in songs such as the disco hit In the Navy by Village People.
[Navy signals for help to recruit gay sailors - Times (UK) - 02-20-05]
filed under: Sunday Read
February 13, 2005
This morning's moment du toilet is brought to me by la fée verte (the green fairy) from the fine people of La Boheme in the Czech Republic (photo credit: Mr. Baby). I know I shouldn't be consuming things sent to me in the mail from foreign countries, but this alcoholic treat was one of those extraordinary exceptions.
At 33, I don't normally bounce as quickly from drinking the night before, but this morning was an exception. I hadn't seen Josh in a couple of months, and like most any excuse it was a perfect ocassion to drink. About a month ago, we received a very nice bottle of Absinthe, an alcoholic drink made with an extract from wormwood. It arrived like a present, in a tube littered with foreign postage and customs stamps that screamed "drink me." What was I suspposed to do? I'm gay, and a good package is hard to resist. It was the second very expensive bottle sent to us after the first package arrived via USPS soaked from the shattered bottle inside. Alex was very understanding and quickly re-shipped the second bottle.
Absinthe is traditionally prepared by pouring over cubes of sugar on a slatted Absinthe spoon (les semis d'étoiles et tre`fles). Before our weekend poker game last night with the neighbors, Josh and I made our way through a few shots of Absinthe and sushi rolls while watching the movie Sordid Lives. The sugar never seemed to want to disolve, but after a couple of shots, who really cares what it taste like?
Igor is thirsty, but not for soda. He's after suds - beer suds - even though he's only 16, two years under the legal drinking age.
[Too Many Young Czechs Are Drinking, and Drinking Too Much, Health Experts Worry - AP -02-13-05]
Fred Durst explained: "Wes, Ross, and myself have set up Protools and a Beta 57 microphone in an old apartment right near the Charles Bridge. This is where I am connecting with the darkness. Some days are explosive others just plain heavy from the Gothic aesthetic of this city in general. We have gone to the other side a few times with absinthe to discover the unknown. As it seems the unknown is quite demanding these days."
[Czech Mates - NME - 02-10-05]
Natalie Battaglia | The Times | Vosges Haut-Chocolat's Exotic Truffle Assortment includes a Naga, Black Pearl, Absinthe, Ambrosia, Chef Pascal, Gianduia, Wink of the Rabbit, Woolloomooloo and Budapest. [Spice up your Valentine's Day with truffles - NWITimes - 02-09-05]
filed under: Sunday Read
February 06, 2005
Homosexual Threat
"A soldier we all knew was gay had walked by our truck," said Cook, who at the time was about to be deployed to Iraq. "My sergeant said, `If I ever find out anyone in my crew is gay, I would kill him.' "Bloomberg's Stand
[Is the military out of step? - Houston Chronicle - 02-06-05]
With New York's highest court now likely to face an issue that has proved its political potency around the country, Mr. Bloomberg said he personally favored gay marriage. It was the first time, according to his aides, that he has so clearly stated his position in public.Virginia Is For LoversHe went further last night at a dinner held by the Human Rights Campaign, a gay rights group, where he told the guests at the Waldorf-Astoria that he would "work with you to change the law" in Albany if the lower court ruling - which he called "something to celebrate" - was struck down.
[City to Appeal Move Backing Gay Marriage - New York Times - 02-06-05]
Del. Richard H. Black, R-Loudoun, said his bill would require that child-placing agencies report whether people who are requesting to become adoptive parents "are currently engaged in voluntary homosexual activity or are cohabitating with unrelated person."
[Bill would make sexual orientation an adoption issue - Richmond Times Dispatch - 02-06-05]
filed under: Sunday Read
January 30, 2005
Islamic Fundamentals on Gender
Almost everybody here, in this sterilized waiting room at a clinic in the clanging heart of Tehran, is in the midst of changing their sex. Waiting their turn to see the doctor, they strut about in self-conscious gender rehearsal. "I was married. I had a wife and children," says Maria Pakgohar, a curvaceous former truck driver wearing flower barrettes and fake furs. She claims she's in her 40s but flashes an identification card giving her age as 62. "The cleric came to my house and said to my wife: 'What do you want from him? He's a woman, not a man.' "In the Islamic Republic of Iran, gay male sex still carries the death penalty and lesbians are lashed, but hundreds of people are having their gender changed legally, bolstered by the blessings of members of the ruling Shiite clergy.
[Iran bans being gay, but allows sex change - L.A. Times - 01-30-05]
Hostage Situation
The Arlington Group, comprising some of the President's most important conservative backers, reacted by threatening to withhold much-needed support for one of his top domestic initiatives – overhauling America's pensions system – if he does not vigorously push their own political cause."We couldn't help but notice the contrast between how the President is approaching the difficult issue of social security privatisation, where the public is deeply divided, and the marriage issue, where public opinion is overwhelmingly on his side," the leaked letter said.
[Christians give Bush ultimatum to ban gay marriage - Telegraph - 01-30-05]
Tax Burden
As if tax season isn't stressful enough, gay newlyweds in Massachusetts this year are pondering a new thorny question: Do they check "married" or "single" on federal tax forms?A landmark court ruling made Massachusetts the first state to sanction same-sex weddings nearly a year ago, but gays and lesbians will have to untie the knot this April - on paper at least - since the federal government doesn't recognize their unions.
[Latest gay marriage knot: Filing status for tax returns - AP - 01-30-05]
filed under: Sunday Read
January 23, 2005
DOMA upheld
Massachusetts right now is the only state that allows gay marriage, but Wilson and Schoenwether want their home state of Florida to recognize their union, too. Their attempt to get that recognition, though, was soundly rejected this past week when a judge dismissed their lawsuit, upholding a federal law that lets states ban same-sex marriages.The People's Conviction
[Gay marriage loses court fight - Post Gazette - 01-23-05]
On the question of whether elected officials should set their convictions aside to get results in government, 84 percent agreed in 2000. However, four years later that had dropped to 74 percent. There was a sharper decline on the same question among weekly church-goers from 82 percent in the first survey to 63 percent in the second.Religious Intolerance
[Survey finds church-going Americans less tolerant - Reuters - 01-23-05]
"For some reason, people in East Texas find it hard to believe, but the gay and lesbian community do actually have members who practice religion," Steve said. "The problem is, it's very hard to find churches here in Nacogdoches that accept homosexuality — where you could attend church with your partner or friends."Defending the Homeland
[Gay in East Texas: Churches struggle with an ‘extremely hard topic' - Daily Sentinel - 01-23-05]
Now, Dobson said, SpongeBob's creators had enlisted him in a "pro-homosexual video," in which he appeared alongside other children's television characters including Barney and Jimmy Neutron, among many others.The makers of the video, he said, planned to mail it to thousands of elementary schools later this spring to promote a "tolerance pledge" that includes tolerance for differences of "sexual identity." He urged his allies to help stop it as part of a "spiritual battle" for the country.
[Social conservatives zero in on SpongeBob - Houston Chronicle - 01-23-05]
filed under: Sunday Read
January 16, 2005
Accountability
"We had an accountability moment, and that's called the 2004 elections," Bush said in an interview with The Washington Post. "The American people listened to different assessments made about what was taking place in Iraq, and they looked at the two candidates, and chose me."
[Bush Says Election Ratified Iraq Policy - Washington Post - 01-16-05]
Virginia is For Lovers
Two months after voters in 11 states overwhelmingly approved constitutional bans on gay marriage, Virginia has become ground zero for activists on both sides of the issue. Democrats and Republicans are closely watching the state as a test case for how to proceed next.
[Va. focus of battle over gay marriage - Boston Globe - 01-16-05]
The Dream
"Martin Luther King Jr. would be OUTRAGED!," the flier read, according to a report in The Miami Herald. "If he knew homosexualist extremists were abusing the civil rights movements to get special rights based on their sexual behavior."While King's widow, Coretta Scott King, disclaimed the flier, a spokesman for the conservative group argued that Coretta King "can't speak for her husband."
[INTERPRETING the DREAM - Times-Union - 01-16-05]
Free Speech Thugs in American Schools
Berkmar High School students opened the school newspaper to a blank editorial page after the school's principal ordered the staff to yank two opinion pieces about a new club for straight and gay teens.Gwinnett County school officials said Principal Kendall Johnson told the staff to remove the editorials because he felt it would disturb students during exam time.
[Principal Kills Student Newspaper Stories On Gay Group - 365gay.com - 01-16-05]
filed under: Sunday Read
January 09, 2005
Homosexual epidemic
SPAIN'S government may be bent on delivering legislation to allow marriages between same-sex couples, but Catholic church opposition hardened today with an archbishop labelling homosexuality an "epidemic"."(There is) a veritable epidemic of homosexuality, a fount of psychological problems and painful frustrations," said Fernando Sebastian, archbishop of Pamplona in northern Spain and secretary of the Spanish Episcopal Conference. "Homosexuals, if they wish, and with well-targeted help, can change their situation," he said, adding: "For me, all are sons of God, and all deserve the same respect."
[Homosexuality 'an epidemic' - Townsville Bulletin - 01-09-05]
Justice Delayed
The arrest of former Ku Klux Klan leader Edgar Ray Killen Thursday in one of the most horrific crimes of the civil rights era was for some a satisfying culmination of a long-delayed hunt for justice.But others here would rather forget the crime, along with the stain of violent racism it left on the town.
[Mississippi Town Divided Over Dredging Up The Past - The Day - 01-09-05]
Blasphemy and UK-styled 'Free Speech'
The BBC insist there are less than 300 hundred offensive words in the opera, even under the broadest definition of the term, including 117 ‘f-words’ and seven ‘c-words’.Early overnight viewing figures indicate Jerry Springer – The Opera had an average audience of 1.8 million viewers, an audience share of 10.8%.
A BBC statement said: “We are pleased that a wider audience has been able to see this important piece of contemporary musical theatre.”
[Prayer Group to Sue BBC for Blasphemy - PA - 01-09-05]
President Newt Gingrich
"It never hurts to maximize opportunities. That's the American tradition," Gingrich said. "If I can influence the reporters and political activists in Iowa and New Hampshire, they will influence the candidates."Asked if he might be a candidate himself, Gingrich said. "For an Army brat from Pennsylvania who became the only Georgia Republican in the House and the first Republican Speaker of the House in 40 years, anything seems possible. I don't think it's very likely. On the other hand, if I have an impact on public policy and do it in a way that is exciting and positive, why wouldn't I want to do that?"
Gingrich said he hopes newspapers in Iowa and New Hampshire seize on issues raised in his book. "If that means that every candidate will be hit by those questions, at a minimum I have helped shape policy," he said.
[Newt Gingrich Open to Presidential Run - AP - 01-09-05]
filed under: Sunday Read
January 02, 2005
Republican assault on Democracy
Ailing Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist said today that judges must be protected from political threats, including from conservative Republicans who maintain that "judicial activists" should be impeached and removed from office."The Constitution protects judicial independence not to benefit judges, but to promote the rule of law: Judges are expected to administer the law fairly, without regard to public reaction," the chief justice, whose future on the court is subject to wide speculation, said in his traditional year-end report on the federal courts.
[Rehnquist Sees Threat to Judiciary - L.A. Times - 01-01-05]
Religious Bigotry
A group of parents and parishioners has accused the Orange County diocese of violating church doctrine by allowing a gay couple to enroll their children in a Catholic school.The group demanded last month that St. John the Baptist School in Costa Mesa accept only families that pledge to abide by Catholic teachings. That would likely bar the men's two adopted boys from attending the school's kindergarten because of church opposition to relationships and adoption by same-sex couples.
[OC Catholic school angers parents by admitting gay couple's sons - Mercury News - 01-02-05]
Pro-Life
Two years ago, at age 15 and living in his 15th Miami-area foster home, Steven Alicea came out of the closet.His foster parents at the time, both pastors, said he would go to hell.
"I thought of suicide - just taking my life. That it was worthless," Steven says. "Thank God I didn't."
[Gay teen honored for inspiring peers - Tallahassee Democrat - 01-02-04]
filed under: Sunday Read
December 26, 2004
A year ago, only four state constitutions explicitly barred same-sex marriage. That number now stands at 17 and could climb to more than 30 in the next two years.
[Foes of gay marriage press for more bans - Star Tribune - 12-26-04]Researchers have found a number of same-sex pairs of penguins at aquariums in Japan, with an imbalance between the numbers of male and female birds suspected to be the cause, a report said today.
[Gay penguins found in aquariums - Japan Times - 12-26-04]In fact, Schwarzenegger mentioned neither hot-button issue in the interview and offered environmental protection as his only example of how the party should shift its ideological positioning. Nor were gay marriage and abortion mentioned in the German newspaper article.
[Bad translation, sacrificed truth create Schwarzenegger snowball - Pasadena Star News - 12-26-04]"And the youth, looking upon him (Jesus), loved him and beseeched that he might remain with him. And going out of the tomb, they went into the house of the youth, for he was rich. And after six days, Jesus instructed him and, at evening, the youth came to him wearing a linen cloth over his naked body. And he remained with him that night, for Jesus taught him the mystery of the Kingdom of God".
[Was Jesus Gay? - 365gay.com - 12-25-04]
filed under: Sunday Read
December 19, 2004
California's attorney general, jurists across the state and gay rights activists have rushed to Judge Loren McMaster's defense. They expect to paint the campaign as an attack on an independent judiciary by disgruntled conservatives pushing an anti-gay agenda.
[Recall attempt spurs debate on same-sex partners - Daily Breeze - 12-19-04]Already two members of the cabinet have said they may have to resign and vote against the government. A few defections from the cabinet, however, would probably not jeopardize final passage of the marriage legislation, which will be introduced when Parliament comes back into session late next month. The majority of Liberals supporting the bill will be joined by nearly all the members of the opposition Bloc Québécois and New Democratic Party along with a few Conservative members.
[Internal Splits Emerge in Canadian Parties Over Gay Marriage - NYT - 12-19-04]Religious activity in general is also strong, with some of the state's highest percentages. In Effingham County, 735 of every 1,000 people claim some sort of religious affiliation, compared to 553 per 1,000 statewide. A giant cross put up by a group of area churches and residents towers over the city of Effingham.
[For some voters, God and morality trump all other issues - Belleville News Democrat - 12-19-04]"I would like the Republican Party to cross this line, move a little further left and place more weight on the center," he was quoted as saying. "This would immediately give the party 5 percent more votes without its losing anything elsewhere."
[Report: Schwarzenegger urges GOP left turn - CNN - 12-19-04]
filed under: Sunday Read
December 12, 2004
But there may have been other issues at play. Kerik, who recently made millions in the private sector, once filed for personal bankruptcy as a New York cop. And just five years ago he was in financial trouble over a condominium he owned in New Jersey. More serious trouble than anyone realized: NEWSWEEK has discovered that a New Jersey judge in 1998 had issued an arrest warrant as part of a convoluted series of lawsuits relating to unpaid bills on his condo. The magazine faxed documents, including the arrest warrant, over to the White House around 6:00 p.m. Friday, asking for comment. Neither Kerik nor the White House had any immediate response. At 8:30 p.m., Kerik had submitted his letter to the president.
[Withdrawn - Newsweek - 12-11-04]In February, nearly 450 committee members will pick for a successor to Terry McAuliffe, a close ally of former President Clinton (news - web sites) who is stepping down after four years in the post. No favorite was evident this weekend at an assembly of state party leaders.
[Democrats Gather in Search of a Leader - AP - 12-11-04]While some churches have openly gay clergy and perform types of marriage celebrations, United Church of Christ is ahead of the rest as it allows both gay marriage and practicing gay clergy, according to Mark Wilson, former pastor at McGee Baptist church in Berkeley. The United Church of Christ "is the only mainstream denomination that has taken a firm stand on being open," he said.
[Bay Area church still struggling with gay issue - Daily Review - 12-12-04]Take a moment to consider how amazing this is. Just 15 years after that New Republic essay, marriage is the defining goal of the gay rights movement. There were more modest possibilities, emphasizing tolerance and nondiscrimination. But gay rights have blown right past those milestones and are headed to the next one, which is official approval.
[Civil Rights Lightning - Washignton Post - 12-12-04]China will soon host the finals of the country's first beauty contest in which every contestant has gone under the knife. Twenty "man-made" beauties will parade their surgical nips and tucks next Saturday in the hope of taking home the country's first Miss Artificial Beauty crown.
[China Awaits Crowning of Miss Plastic Surgery - AP - 12-12-04]
filed under: Sunday Read
December 05, 2004
Jason Atwood, 17, his boyfriend, Tom Tolman, 15, who attends another school, and small circle of friends held protests across the street from the suburban Salt Lake City school before they met with Worlton. The protesters said they were subjected to insults, obscene gestures, egg throwing and snowballs from passing cars during the four days.[Principal may revise policy on gay couples - CNN.com - 12-04-04]
On Saturday, a dozen students and parents gathered outside Law High School in protest, holding signs and wearing stickers reading "Gay people have blood too. ... The American Red Cross discriminates."
[Protesters back Milford teen who was rejected as blood donor - New Haven Register - 12-05-04]"I had to cut my son down from the tree. I told the kids at the funeral that if you don't get together and confront the bullies, it will be your parents cutting you down," John Melo told the London Free Press.
[Homophobic Bullying Drives Teen to Suicide - 365gay.com - 12-05-04]"A lot of citizens in this country think decisions should be made the democratic way. I really believe that's where it is," said Stepp in a recent interview.
We don't believe that's where it is. What Stepp is talking about is, in our view, a tyranny of the majority and a usurpation of civil and constitutional rights of the individual - precious rights that should not be lightly tossed aside for mere political pandering.
[State has bigger worries than a gay marriage ban - The Journal Times [Racine, WI] - 12-05-04]An urban ministry that aids the poor and homeless had its official recognition removed in a dispute involving an associate pastor who is in a committed lesbian relationship.
The decision targeting the Central City Lutheran Mission is the most severe punishment of a Lutheran congregation over the issue in more than a decade.
''We thought those days were over,'' Pastor David Kalke, who leads the mission, told the Los Angeles Times. ''It appears conservatism has raised its ugly head here in Southern California, much to our surprise.''
[Revocation stings Lutheran church - Monterey County Herald - 12-05-04]
filed under: Sunday Read
November 28, 2004
If Wallace could be brought back to life today to reprise his 1963 moment of infamy outside Foster Auditorium, he would still be correct. Alabama voters made sure of that Nov. 2, refusing to approve a constitutional amendment to erase segregation-era wording requiring separate schools for "white and colored children" and to eliminate references to the poll taxes once imposed to disenfranchise blacks.
[Alabama vote opens old racial wounds - Washington Post - 11-27-04]But when it came to the heated ballot measure, many of the voters who brought Kerry his Oregon victory departed from the Democratic orthodoxy and helped provide the winning edge to the initiative which banned same-sex marriage in Oregon.
[Kerry backers in Portland parted ways on gay marriage - Oregonian - 11-27-04]Many colleges and high schools began to abandon the tradition in the 1990s, replacing the king and queen with homecoming "royals" and "top 10 students." Some, including Duke University, did away with homecoming in the 1970s, when advocates for women's rights succeeded in arguing that the contests were archaic and sexist and that they promoted stereotypical sex roles.
[Gay students lead to homecoming tradition changes - Sun News - 11-28-04]The Archbishop of Canterbury, Rowan Williams, has strongly criticised the harsh language used against gay people by traditionalist members of the Anglican church in its dispute over homosexuality.
[Anglicans urged to ease up on gay criticism - BBC - 11-28-04]
filed under: Sunday Read
November 21, 2004
With five state unions about to ratify new contracts that allow gay workers to extend their benefits to domestic partners, several groups are likely to use the new law to challenge those benefits. The American Family Association of Michigan, which helped lead the fight for the constitutional amendment banning gay marriage, said its passage prohibits the state from treating gay relationships as similar to marriages.
[Law challenges union benefits for gay pairs - Detroit News - 11-21-04]Florida is the only state with a complete ban on adoption by gays and lesbians, either as a couple or as single parents. Last month, the American Civil Liberties Union took its challenge of the ban to the U.S. Supreme Court, which is expected to decide in early January whether to hear the case filed on behalf of four gay men raising Florida foster children they cannot legally adopt.
[Groups join forces to oppose state’s ban on gay adoptions - Sun Sentinel - 11-20-04]Federal health officials are advising doctors to be on the alert for a rare sexually transmitted disease that is on the increase among gay men in the Netherlands and other countries.
The disease, lymphogranuloma venereum, or LGV, has been diagnosed in more than 90 gay men in the Netherlands, and cases also have been reported in Belgium, France and Sweden. The infection is caused by a variant of the bacterium that causes chlamydia and can be treated with antibiotics. But unlike routine cases of chlamydia, LGV can cause severe gastrointestinal distress, including inflammation and bleeding of the rectum and colon.
[Rare STD afflicting gay men in Europe - Indy Star - 11-21-04]In Oliver Stone's three-hour drama, "Alexander," Colin Farrell, as the fourth-century Macedonian conqueror Alexander the Great, has a number of tender love scenes with his best friend, Hephaistion, played by a long-haired Jared Leto. In the film, which cost about $155 million to produce, Alexander is also married to Roxane, played by Rosario Dawson, but the marriage takes a back seat to his passion for his boyhood friend.
[Breaking Ground With a Gay Movie Hero - New York Times - 11-20-04]There has been much talk about just how much traction the moral-issues agenda generated at the polls among black ministers. Some early media wisdom rendered the election as something of a church revival with the most solid Christian declared the winner. "Bush is a good Christian" was the refrain attributed to scores of black ministers voting for the president and apparently urging their flocks to do likewise. Some 20 percent of George W. Bush voters overall cited "moral values" as a cutting edge issue. Not everyone missed the point.
[Bush, the black vote and moral values - NewsDay - 11-21-04]Robin Bodiford, a Fort Lauderdale attorney who lobbied county commissioners to pass the initiatives, had called for a walkout as Rodstrom accepted his award.
A week's worth of bickering among activists over whether to walk out -- and Rodstrom's own promise that he would make amends for his voting record -- arrived Saturday night with the presentation of the award.
But when Rodstrom's name was called, Bodiford was the only one to stand and walk away.
[Anti-Rodstrom walkout fizzles - Sun Sentinel - 11-21-04]
filed under: Sunday Read
November 14, 2004
Henderson and McKinney, both speaking for the first time since being sentenced to double life terms, now deny that Shepard's homosexuality played a role in their decision to murder him. McKinney has been barred from speaking to the press about the crime as a condition of a plea bargain with prosecutors who promised to reward his vow of permanent silence by not seeking the death penalty. Legal experts do not expect prosecutors to pursue re-sentencing now that he has decided to talk.
[Was Matthew Shepard just a robbery victim? - WorldNetDaily - 11-14-04]Cheryl Jacques, executive director of HRC, said she had "no regrets" over snubbing Specter. "You don’t get to play Monday morning quarterback. We stand by a solid commitment to records and equality. Those who support discrimination into the Constitution don’t deserve our support. I expect that if Sen. Specter becomes the chair of the Judiciary Committee we will work with him. I hope he is focused on a fair-minded judiciary and policy for this country and I hope that he comes to regret his vote."
[Specter 'fuming' over homosexual snub - WorldNetDaily - 11-14-04]That changing of the guard is part of a broader trend emerging from the election that helps explain why the Senate — like the greater political landscape — has become so polarized. Many centrists are leaving Congress; unvarnished conservatives are arriving in their place.
[Losing Its Middlemen, Senate Shifts to Right - LA Times - 11-14-04]Reaction is not limited to the Lone Star State. Like Representative Chisum, lawmakers in Virginia have pre-filed legislation calling for a constitutional amendment limiting marriage to one man and one woman. And legislators in four other states -- Alabama, Idaho, South Carolina, and Washington -- have stated their intention to introduce marriage amendments as soon as possible.
[Marriage Amendment on Horizon in at Least Nine More States - Agape Press - 11-12-04]"Things get picked up by bloggers that take awhile to get picked up by the mainstream media," said Mark Glaser, a columnist for the Online Journalism Review who writes about Web logs. "Bloggers have to start from scratch in building trust."
[Conference Examines Blogs' Impact on News - AP - 11-14-04]
filed under: Sunday Read
November 07, 2004
US Marines of the 1st Division line up prior to a prayer at their base outside Fallujah, Iraq, Saturday, Nov. 6 , 2004. More than 10,000 U.S. troops have taken positions around the rebel-controlled city of Fallujah, bolstering the U.S. Marine units expected to lead a joint Army-Marine assault on the city. (AP Photo/Anja Niedringhaus)
George Bush's voters go to church more often than John Kerry's and are more likely to oppose gay marriage and abortion. They are more likely to own guns and to feel better-off financially than they did four years ago.
Sure, they are concerned about terrorism. But they are more concerned about "moral values."
[Bush, Kerry Voters Differ on View of U.S. - AP - 11-06-04]A National Guard soldier ordered to duty in Iraq is challenging the military's "stop-loss" program and asking a judge to block the military from involuntarily extending his enlistment.
The program has been criticized by some lawmakers, including Democratic presidential nominee Sen. John Kerry, as a backdoor draft.
[Guardsman Loses Iraq Deployment Challenge - AP - 11-07-04]The government declared a 60-day state of emergency throughout most of the country Sunday, as U.S. and Iraqi forces prepared for an expected all-out assault on rebels in Fallujah. Insurgents escalated a wave of violence that has killed more than 50 people the past two days, and a U.S. soldier was killed in an attack on a convoy.
[Iraq Declares State of Emergency - AP - 11-07-04]A veteran of the first Persian Gulf War is suing the Army after it ordered him to report for duty 13 years after he was honorably discharged from active duty and eight years after he left the reserves.
[Vet Called Up Years After Discharge Sues - AP - 11-07-04]It was several years before opposition to the Vietnam War became a politically potent mainstream protest. This time, a new and mainstream antiwar movement will mature almost overnight.
MoveOn.org tried to help get John Kerry elected. Now it will be reborn as a grass-roots antiwar movement. Unlike the Vietnam protests, this one was mainstream from the beginning.
[Exit Iraq - Washignton Post - 11-07-04]
filed under: Sunday Read
October 31, 2004
What little I can remember about 1976 is red, white and blue. I was only 4 years old. Maybe it was the pageantry building up to our nation's bi-centennial, or School House Rock repetitiously explaining the democratic process in between Saturday morning cartoons. Whatever it was, America seemed united and proud of the process. I've never seen so many people excited, tense and electrified over an election than today, and I couldn't feel more proud to be an American.
TENSIONS:
A few weeks ago, a Democrat handing out flyers about the anti-Bush documentary "Fahrenheit 9/11" outside an Episcopal church was set on by members of the congregation."When they saw what the flyers were for, they got furious. They circled the poor man, rolled up the papers into balls and pelted him with them," said a witness.
A recent dinner party turned ugly when a Republican guest inadvertently revealed his colors, prompting a Democrat to threaten to "upturn his rocking chair so he would fall on his head and suffer grave bodily harm," according to a guest.
[US Election Tensions Overflow in Mexico Expat Town - Reuters - 10-30-04]HIGH TURN OUT:
More than 1.8 million Floridians have cast their ballots through early or absentee voting - nearly 2 1/2 times the number of people who voted early in 2000.
[Nearly 2 Million Vote Early in Florida - AP - 10-31-04]DEAD HEAT:
Bush has solid leads in 23 states with 197 electoral votes and is favored in four more, which could bring him to 227. Kerry is equally solid in 13 states with 178 electoral votes and is favored in five states, which would bring him to 232. It takes 270 electoral votes to win
[Bush, Kerry in Reach of Electoral Win - Washignton Post - 10-31-04]DELAYED SPRINT:
U.S. House Majority Leader Tom DeLay has coasted to easy wins in recent elections, but this year he is running hard as his once-ascendant political career has hit a rough patch.
[Embattled Texas Republican DeLay Running Hard - Reuters - 10-30-04]THE PLANETS ALIGN:
"Saturn, which is the lord of health and fortune for President Bush, has been eclipsed by the Sun, which is unfortunate and gives him a clear defeat," Lachhman Das Madan, editor of a popular astrology magazine, told Reuters."Kerry will win," said Madan, who is also known as "the emperor of astrologers." "It is cosmic writ that George W. Bush cannot become president of United States again."
[The Planets Have Made Up Their Mind: Kerry Wins - Reuters - 10-31-04]
filed under: Sunday Read
October 24, 2004
John Kerry, former Sen. Max Cleland and former vice president Walter Mondale rally with 30,000 people at the Hubert Humphrey Metrodome in Minneapolis, Minnesota October 21, 2004.
Photographer: Kerry-Edwards 2004, Inc. from Sharon Farmer
Newspaper endorsements:
The Chicago Sun-Times endorsed Kerry on Oct. 24
"We want leaders to stay the course only when the course is a good one. ... The question that Americans need to ask themselves, going into the voting booth a week from Tuesday, is this: Do you like the direction our nation is heading? If the answer is no, then your vote should be for Sen. John Kerry."The Austin (Texas) American-Statesman endorsed Bush on Oct. 24
"President Bush got some things wrong, but there is much he got right. We are faced with an unrelenting foe who strikes from the shadows and won't be deterred by diplomacy or international resolutions. Bush's resolve and commitment to stay the course are clear."
[2004 Presidential Endorsements - AP - 10-24-04]One week to go:
Bush courted his Republican base in a four-city hopscotch across all-important Florida. He appears to be betting that true-blue Republicans, more than swing voters, will boost him past his 537-vote Florida victory margin in 2000.Kerry targeted a growing Hispanic vote in Colorado and New Mexico. He hopes to snatch a few southwestern states to counterbalance Bush's strength in the South, where Kerry has given up campaigning except for Florida, a state he visits today.
[Candidates' last-minute strategies - Newsday - 10-24-04]Overseas blather:
On November 2, the entire civilised world will be praying, praying Bush loses. And Sod's law dictates he'll probably win, thereby disproving the existence of God once and for all. The world will endure four more years of idiocy, arrogance and unwarranted bloodshed, with no benevolent deity to watch over and save us. John Wilkes Booth, Lee Harvey Oswald, John Hinckley Jr - where are you now that we need you?
[Dumb show - Guardian - 10-23-04]Sinclair's weak show:
But finding its stock price under pressure and itself threatened with shareholder lawsuits, Sinclair presented a one-hour program that drew as much from George Butler's pro-Kerry film, "Going Upriver: The Long War of John Kerry," as it did from "Stolen Honor," and featured both critics and supporters of the Democratic presidential candidate.
[Anti-Kerry show not so partisan after all - Chicago Tribune - 10-4-04]
filed under: Sunday Read
October 17, 2004
The Times, in endorsing Kerry, characterized President Bush's presidency as "disastrous" and accused him of "turning the government over to the radical right."
[Kerry Talks Economy, Collects Major Endorsement - Reuters - 10-17-04]Kerry also opposes a draft and has suggested that re-electing Bush would greatly increase the prospects for one. The president, fearing that young voters will be swayed by the charge, fired back, "The person talking about a draft is my opponent."
[Bush Says He's Best Protection From Draft - AP - 10-17-04]The e-mail said state election officials "weren't comfortable with the felon matching program they've got," but added, "The Gov rejected their suggestion to pull the plug, so they're 'going live' with it this weekend."
[Report: Jeb Bush Ignored Felon List Advice - AP - 10-17-04]Bush is trying actively to ban gay marriage with a rare amendment to the Constitution. Neither Dick nor Mary Cheney will publicly condemn this move, with the Vice-President muttering that he loves his daughter and supports his President. Untenable?
[Is Mary Cheney a gay pawn? Her father can answer that - Guardian - 10-17-04]Choices the two men made more than 3 1/2 decades ago have cast a long shadow over the current presidential campaign, helping to define the candidates to voters but also exposing them to harsh personal attacks. Bush has faced charges that he used family connections to dodge combat duty in Vietnam, while Kerry has been accused of betrayal for leading antiwar demonstrations after returning to the United States.
[For the Candidates, Vietnam Choices Linger - Washington Post - 10-16-04]
filed under: Sunday Read
October 10, 2004
A woman walks past a dart throwing event as a plastic dart flys through the air towards a picture of Vice President Dick Cheney, Tuesday, Oct. 5, 2004, in Cleveland. Participants could choose to throw a dart at Cheney or Democratic rival Sen. John Edwards, D-N.C. (AP Phot