CA Legislature Officially Endorses Repeal of DOMA

Equality California-sponsored resolution puts State of California on record supporting repeal of so-called “Defense of Marriage Act”

Sacramento – Today, the California State Senate approved a joint resolution, AJR 19, calling on the U.S. Congress and President Obama to immediately repeal the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), which explicitly forbids the federal government or any federal agency from recognizing state-sanctioned marriages between same-sex couples. Introduced by Assemblymember Julia Brownley (D – Santa Monica) and sponsored by Equality California, the joint resolution was passed by a bipartisan vote of 22-12.

“The Defense of Marriage Act prevents the federal government from recognizing the relationships of loving same-sex couples, even when the states where they live recognize their relationships,” said Equality California Executive Director Geoff Kors. “We’re proud of the California legislature for making the state’s opposition to DOMA official state policy. Now we must overturn this discriminatory federal law and pave the way for the marriages of same-sex couples to be recognized at the federal level.”

Under DOMA, which passed in 1996, married same-sex couples are refused the same federal rights and responsibilities as their heterosexual counterparts, resulting in inequitable and unfair implementation of federal laws governing a range of issues such as housing, immigration, tax and inheritance. A repeal of DOMA would result in the federal government recognizing legal marriages of same-sex couples, just as it currently recognizes legal marriages of heterosexual couples.

“President Obama has called this law abhorrent in the way it denies more than 1,000 federal rights to same-sex couples,” Assemblymember Brownley said. “Congress must act now to overturn DOMA, which is rooted in irrational and unfounded prejudice. Married same-sex couples deserve equal access to these benefits.”

Currently, there are eleven nations that recognize marriages between same-sex couples, including Argentina, Belgium, Canada, Iceland, Mexico, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, South Africa, Spain and Sweden. Five states in the U.S. grant same-sex couples the right to marry, including Connecticut, Iowa, Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Vermont, as well as Washington, D.C.

For more information about Equality California-sponsored legislation, please visit www.eqca.org/legislation.

“EQCA works tirelessly to pass California Resolutions and endorsements to support and influence legislation in Congress.” Melanie Nathan  nathan@privatecourts.com

Equality California (EQCA) is the largest statewide lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) rights advocacy organization in California. Over the past decade, Equality California has strategically moved California from a state with extremely limited legal protections for LGBT individuals to a state with some of the most comprehensive civil rights protections in the nation. Equality California has passed over 60 pieces of legislation and continues to advance equality through legislative advocacy, electoral work, public education and community empowerment. www.eqca.org

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Richardson went missing last year after being released from custody by the Malibu/Lost Hills Sheriff’s station in Calabasas, CA. She was released at night, without her identification or her car, and no means of getting home.

Her mother, Latice Sutton, had asked deputies to hold her until family could pick her up because she was mentally ill and in a strange area unfamiliar to her. However Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department deputies said at the time that Richardson seemed rational and they believed they were legally obligated to release her.

Richardson was last seen on the morning of Sept 17th about twenty miles from the police station, and about two and a half miles from the ravine in Malibu where her skeletal remains were discovered by park rangers looking for a marijuana farm last week.

“The National Action Network will send a letter to U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder to ask for an official inquiry,” Sharpton told The Root. “The incident must be raised to a review of what the process was compared to others in the area. It could be a test case of what’s going on around the country, where missing African Americans are not considered a priority for law enforcement or the media.”

via Sharpton Will Ask Feds to Probe Mitrice Richardson’s Death.

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Image via Wikipedia

8/19/10-by Paula Brooks
A Catholic adoption service in Britain that has refused to work with same-sex couples will not be allowed an exemption from Britain’s anti-discrimination laws.

The British government imposed anti-discrimination rules in 2007 that prevent organizations from discriminating on the basis of a person’s sexuality, but Catholic Care had argued that as a religious group it should be allowed to offer adoption-support services only to heterosexual couples, because the organizations funding from the Roman Catholic Church was dependent on its policy of helping only married heterosexual couples adopt.

However yesterday, in a final ruling, British charity regulators said the group’s policy was discriminatory and a breach of European human rights laws.

“We have concluded that in this case the reasons Catholic Care have set out do not justify their wish to discriminate,” said Charity Commission chief executive Andrew Hind.

It has also ordered the Catholic Care to either cease its work placing children with adoptive parents or to abide by the UK’s equality laws which would include offering its services to same-sex couples.

“The charity is very disappointed with the outcome, Catholic Care will now consider whether there is any other way in which the charity can continue to support families seeking to adopt children in need,” said the group in a statement.

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On August 21, 2010, Fifty Master Level Swimmers will plunge into the Great South Bay to swim from Sayville to Fire Island Pines,   to raise funds to benefit the Stonewall Community Foundation, a philanthropic organization supporting the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community.

Those sponsoring the swimmers and friends from all walks of life will be on hand to cheer them on as they make their way through the 5 K open water route, and to congratulate them as they emerge at the Swim’s endpoint in The Pines in the 2^nd Annual Stonewall Swim.

“The inspiration for many of us lies in combining our passion for swimming and sport with our desire to benefit a group like Stonewall that provides grants to so many LGBT community organizations,” said Bradley Matthews, a Stonewall Swim participant and donor.

Last year, the Stonewall Swim raised $100,000 for the Foundation’s vital work.  This year, the swimmers and organizers hope to double their fundraising effort.

“The Stonewall Community Foundation is  committed first and foremost to building community and giving all who care about strengthening the LGBT community a chance to contribute to that goal,” said Paula Ettelbrick, Stonewall’s Executive Director.

The Swim will start at 9:00 am, with the first swimmers reaching The Pines around noon.

About the Stonewall Community Foundation

Since inception in 1990, the Foundation has awarded more than $15 million in grants to more than 400 organizations.

Stonewall Community Foundation develops leadership in the NYC LGBTQ community and works with like-minded donors to fund and incubate emerging organizations serving an evolving set of issues.  The Foundation’s Stonewall Institute formally trains organizations and key individuals on mission critical skills for running and growing their organizations and offers programs to inspire community members to personal and financial commitments to organizations.  Our Stonewall Quarter Share engages and develops the largest young donor group training them on community needs and helping them learn about grantmaking and leadership development and Stonewall Out in Front will annually develop 40 next generation board leaders for the movement.

The following individuals are available for interviews about The Stonewall Community Foundation, Stonewall Swim 2010 and the LGBTQ community.

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8/8/10-by Paula Brooks
Gay rights advocates in Russia say they will open a “Pride House” at the 2014 Winter Olympics scheduled to be held in the Black Sea city of Sochi.

According to the organization Gay Russia, gay rights advocates in that country have sent letter of intent to both the International Olympic Committee and the Russian Olympic Committee saying the group plans to match similar events presented at the Vancouver Winter Olympics held earlier this year and that are planned for the London Summer Olympics in 2012.

Russia decriminalized homosexuality in 1993, however Russian political and social life is heavily influenced by the conservative traditions and the extreme sexual restrictions of the Russian Orthodox Church. Gays are often attacked and ridiculed on the streets of Russia and therefore many live in secret.

“The idea of Pride House received great support from gay activists around the world and we believe that we have to continue this tradition in Sochi after Vancouver and London,” said the chief organizer of Moscow Pride, Nikolai Alekseev. “We are ready to work with the organizers of the Olympics in order to effectively implement this project. This initiative will help to bring more tolerance in sport and not only in Russia.” he added.

According to Alekseev the Sochi “Pride House” would include an exhibition of the history of the LGBT movement in Russia, film screenings and human rights seminars. Information material on homophobia in sport would be available too.

“The problem of homophobia in sport is real and not only in Russia. The Olympics are regularly attended by hundreds of gay and lesbian athletes who are forced to hide their sexual orientation by fear of the damage it could make on their career,” Alekseev also said.

via Russian Gays Plan ‘Pride House’ During Sochi 2014 Winter Olympics.

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The group announced in a statement today that Coulter would make an appearance at its first annual convention for gay conservatives, Homocon 2010, is scheduled to take place September 25 in The Big Apple.

Coulter, an often controversial figure, has in the past used anti-gay slurs when she called Democratic presidential candidates Al Gore and John Edwards gay and once suggested former President Bill Clinton is also gay.

“The gay left has done their best to take all the fun out of politics, with their endless list of boycotts and protests. Homocon is going to be our annual effort to counter the ‘no fun police’ on the left,” said Christopher Barron, Chairman of the Board of GOProud. “I can’t think of any conservative more fun to headline our inaugural party then the self-professed ‘right-wing Judy Garland’ – Ann Coulter.”

“I can promise you, Homocon 2010 will be a hell of a lot more fun than chaining yourself to the White House fence,” added Barron.

GayPatriot » GOProud Announces Ann Coulter to Headline Homocon 2010 in New York City.

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8/5/10-by Paula Brooks
Employees in Frederick County Maryland Public Schools will now receive health insurance for their same-sex domestic partners.

The Frederick County Teachers Association’s has announced its new contract will include health insurance benefits for the domestic partners of Frederick County Public Schools employees. The domestic partner benefits apply to same-sex couples only since Maryland does not permit them to marry.

“Opposite-sex couples have the option of marrying, so they are not included in this provision,” said Teachers Association’s President Gary Brennan. “Should Maryland pass a law allowing same-sex couples to marry, then we would revisit our plan.”

Frederick County is located in the western part of the of Maryland, bordering the southern border of Pennsylvania and the northeastern border of Virginia. It is a part of the Washington-Baltimore Metropolitan Area.

New contract for teachers gives domestic partners benefits – The Frederick News-Post Online.

This year 19 schools received full five-star ratings including, Carleton College; Humboldt State University; Ithaca College; Oberlin College; Oregon State University; Princeton University; San Diego State University; Syracuse University; The Ohio State University; The Pennsylvania State University; University of California, Berkeley; University of California, Los Angeles; University of California, Riverside; University of Maine, Farmington; University of Oregon; University of Pennsylvania; University of Southern California; University of Vermont; and Washington University in St. Louis.

“Although not all schools earn a five-star ranking, their voluntary presence and participation in the index shows they are committed to ‘coming out’ for their students and creating truly equal and impactful communities of higher learning,” said Shane Windmeyer, Campus Pride executive director.

Campus Pride: Find Your Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender Friendly College or University.

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08/03/2010- by Natasia Langfelder

Listen up New Yorkers, the Empire State Pride Agenda has released their roster of LGBT and civil right minded candidates. Keep our State gay friendly and pick politicians who will work towards marriage equality!

2010 Endorsements – First Round

New York State Senate

Primarty Election –
SD 16 (Queens) – Toby Ann Stavisky (D), Incumbent
SD 32 (Bronx) – Carlos Ramos (D), Challenger

General Election –
SD 1 (North & South Fork of Long Island) – Regina Calcaterra (D), Challenger
SD 3 (Brookhaven) – Brian Foley (D), Incumbent
SD 11 (Queens) – Tony Avella (D), Challenger
SD 12 (Queens) – Michael Gianaris (D), Open
SD 40 (Northern Westchester/Putnam) – Michael Kaplowitz (D), Open
SD 41 (Columbia/Dutchess counties) – DiDi Barrett (D), Challenger
SD 49 (Onondaga/Oneida/Madison counties) – David Valesky (D), Incumbent

New York State Assembly

Primary & General Election –
AD 114 (Plattsburgh/North Country) – Janet Duprey (R), Incumbent
AD 119 (Syracuse) – Phillip LaTessa (D), Open
AD 131 (Rochester) – Harry Bronson (D), Open

General Election –
AD 25 (Queens) – Rory Lancman (D), Incumbent
AD 60 (Staten Island/Brooklyn) – Janele Hyer-Spencer (D), Incumbent
AD 61 (Staten Island) – Matthew Titone (D), Incumbent
AD 65 (Manhattan) – Micah Kellner (D), Incumbent
AD 66 (Manhattan) – Deborah Glick (D), Incumbent
AD 95 (Rockland County) – Ellen Jaffee (D), Incumbent
AD 101 (Ulster/Columbia counties) – Kevin Cahill (D), Incumbent
AD 102 (Ulster/Dutchess counties) – Joel Miller (R), Incumbent

2010 Endorsements - Second Round

New York State Senate

Primary Election –
SD 10 (Queens) – Lynn Nunes (D), Challenger
SD 46 (Albany) – Neil Breslin (D), Incumbent
SD 58 (Buffalo)  –  Tim Kennedy (D), Challenger

General Election –
SD 6 (Nassau County) – Dave Mejias (D), Challenger
SD 7 (Nassau County) – Craig Johnson (D), Incumbent
SD 23 (Staten Island) – Diane Savino (D), Incumbent
SD 26 (Manhattan) – Liz Krueger (D), Incumbent
SD 29 (Manhattan) – Thomas Duane (D), Incumbent
SD 34 (Bronx, Westchester) – Jeffrey Klein (D), Incumbent
SD 37 (Westchester) – Suzi Oppenheimer (D), Incumbent
SD 44 (Schenectady) – Susan Savage (D), Challenger
SD 50 (Syracuse) – Kathleen Joy (D), Challenger
SD 56 (Rochester) – Robin Wilt (D), Challenger
SD 60 (Buffalo) – Antoine Thompson (D), Incumbent

New York State Assembly

Primary Election –
AD 39 (Queens) – Francisco Moya (D), Open

General Election –
AD 1 (Suffolk) – Mark Alessi (D), Incumbent
AD 4 (Suffolk) – Steven Englebright (D), Incumbent
AD 11 (Suffolk) – Robert Sweeney (D), Incumbent
AD 13 (Nassau) – Charles Lavine (D), Incumbent
AD 16 (Nassau) – Michelle Schimel (D), Incumbent
AD 36 (Queens) – Aravella Simotas (D), Open
AD 52 (Brooklyn) – Joan Millman (D), Incumbent
AD 67 (Manhattan) – Linda Rosenthal (D), Incumbent
AD 69 (Manhattan) – Daniel O’Donnell (D), Incumbent
AD 73 (Manhattan) – Jonathan Bing (D), Incumbent
AD 69 (Manhattan) – Daniel O’Donnell (D), Incumbent
AD 81 (Bronx) – Jeffrey Dinowitz (D), Incumbent
AD 104 (Albany) – John McEneny (D), Incumbent
AD 106 (Albany, Rensselaer) – Ronald Canestrari (D), Incumbent
AD 120 (Syracuse) – William Magnarelli (D), Incumbent
AD 122 (North Country) – Brian McGrath (D), Open
AD 126 (Binghamton) – Donna Lupardo (D), Incumbent
AD 135 (Syracuse) – David Koon (D), Incumbent
AD 144 (Buffalo) – Sam Hoyt (D), Incumbent

Check back with the Empire Pride Agenda to stay on top of the latest endorsements and news.

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The gay pride events in the capital were officially began today with a moment of silence in memory of those murdered in last years gay youth center shooting in Tel Aviv, with an empty chair reserved with the sign “Reserved for Mayor Nir Barkat” placed on it as an act of protest against the Jerusalem mayor’s decision not to attend the gay pride events.

According to the Jerusalem Gay Pride Parade organizers, some 3,000 people are expected to take part in the event today. They will also be joined by some 1,500 police officers, backed up by Border Guards, security guards and military police to provide security as police also fretted over a possible repeat of the 2005 march, during which a member of the ultra-orthodox Haredi community, stabbed and wounded three participants pride event with a kitchen knife.

But even with the heavy security precautions in place, Pride goers were still met with anti-gay protesters carrying signs that read, “Sick perverts, get out of Jerusalem” and “Go Strait For Family Sake”, that assembled along the parade route to harass the marchers. In one indecent police arrested three anti-gay female in possession of eggs, which they apparently intended to throw at parade marchers, near Jerusalem’s Independence Park.

“It is a disease of choice, and a man can change his taste and his ways,” Baruch Marzel said a protest leader, “when someone has AIDS they tell them not to infect others, so why are these people allowed to march here in Jerusalem and infect us with their disease?

One protest also took the form of a parade of paper donkeys outside Israel’s Supreme Court Building that was lead by Jerusalem’s Deputy Mayor Yitzhak Pindrus who has equated homosexuality with bestiality and was preceded by a banner reading “These Marchers Who Do What Beasts Do.”

Pindrus’ protest in turn prompted calls from Uri Regev, Director General of the Chadosh organization for freedom of religion and equality, demanding that Jerusalem Mayor Barkat dismiss Pindrus.

Openly gay Knesset Member Nitzan Horowitz also slammed all the protests and said “We will continue coming here every year, especially to Jerusalem because this is the most important place for the gay community – not only for us, but for everyone to whom the State of Israel’s character as a free and democratic country is important. Everyone who thinks like this must come.”

Jerusalem Pride Parade encounters protests, insults – Israel News, Ynetnews.

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7/28/10-by Paula Brooks
An Oregon LGBT advocacy group has produced a series of television ads aimed at lifting that states ban on same-sex marriages.

Basic Rights Oregon it plans to put an initiative on the ballot by 2012 that would ask Oregon voters to lift the states constitutional ban on same-sex marriage and to achieve that end are spending several hundred thousand dollars to get the message out to about 300,000 cable television viewers.

The advertisements have been broadcast on TV in communities around Oregon since July 19 and will be running for the next several week as part of the group efforts to kick-start public dialogs about allowing committed gay and lesbian couples to join in civil marriage.

Basic Rights Oregon’s Feana Frazzini says her organization wants to start at the grass-roots level to encourage more residents to support legalizing gay marriage. The television ads show not only gay couples, but husbands and wives.

“Encouraging folks to have the conversation that it&’s not just same-sex couples who understand the importance of opening up civil marriage,” said Frazzini. There are lots and lots of allies who are couples who are married or not who understand that the love that&’s shared between two people is very much the same.”

via Ads to Promote Same-Sex Marriage | KEZI.

7/23/10-by Paula Brooks
Yesterday, The Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) released its fourth annual Network Responsibility Index (NRI), a report that maps the quantity, quality and diversity of images of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people on television. Primetime programming on the five broadcast networks was evaluated as well as original primetime programming on 10 of the highest-rated cable networks.

According to the newly released GLAAD Index, due to the quality and diversity of its many LGBT impressions, MTV has become the first network, cable or broadcast, to receive an “Excellent” rating from the group.

“It is with great pride that GLAAD honors MTV with our highest mark of excellence in recognition of the network’s commitment to fair and accurate representation of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community,” said GLAAD President Jarrett Barrios. “From their inception, MTV programs like ‘The Real World’ and ‘America’s Best Dance Crew’ have offered richly diverse portrayals of gay and transgender people that help Americans better understand and accept our community.”

Of the 10 cable networks evaluated, MTV posted the largest increase and ranked highest for LGBT-inclusive original content. Out of 207.5 total hours of original primetime programming, 87 (42%) hours included LGBT impressions. In addition to the racial and ethnic diversity of its characters, MTV also represented a broad cross-section of the LGBT community in its programming.

GLAAD also gave kudos to The CW Network, saying The CW is now the gayest broadcast network with 35% of its primetime programming hours being LGBT-inclusive. This is the highest percentage ever recorded for a broadcast network according to the group.

(source)

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The committees are to mull over a preamble of their Rules of Professional Conduct that would add a provision stating plainly that lawyers should not discriminate while working LGBT clients.

Final approval for the proposal by the chief governing board of the North Carolina’s Bar could come as soon as Friday if the committees can agree to the language, however, some lawyers are at odds over whether the words “sexual orientation” and “gender identity” should be in a list of characteristics that shouldn’t evoke bias.

Lawyers and other North Carolina residents on both sides of the issue have sent letters to the Bar responding to the proposal.

Proposal supporters are saying that people of all sexual orientations need to feel confident that their attorneys will help them get an even break in the legal system, others says they already treat clients with respect but believe it would be the first step toward forcing them to take cases about issues they disagree on moral grounds.

State Bar rules for half of US States presently make some reference to discouraging discrimination against gays, lesbians or transgender people, or defining it as misconduct, according to data provided by the American Bar Association.

“My question is why do we need this. Why is it even necessary?” said Bryce Neier, a Fayetteville attorney. “It’s a springboard for the gay agenda.

“If it wasn’t I would feel that the Bar was just discriminating in the very way we ought not to discriminate,” said Ellen Gerber a lesbian attorney from High Point, “That would be a terrible message to send to the public.”

Last year a proposal to insert similar language was defeated.

N.C. attorneys argue views over anti-bias proposal.

This amounts to more than one third of their annual budget of $240,000. The money will go into expanding the group’s anti-bullying work. “This grant will help Outright Vermont provide critical support services to young Vermonters and help stamp out bullying for good,” Welch stated.

Outright Vermont’s anti-bullying presentations have seen a huge up tick in demand over the last two years. During the 2008-2009 school year, they presented 78 programs to 2200 people. The following year, they almost doubled that. The demand comes because, according to Outright Executive Director Melissa Murray, school administrators are realizing that gender-based bullying is more of a problem than they had thought.

According to the most recent Youth Risk behavior Survey, 14% of 11,427 Vermont teens polled had been pulled at some point in the previous month. That number rises to 36% for just the LGBTQ identified youths.

Even those who have been bullied for reasons other than sexual orientation or gender identity/expression have found that they can express how they have been bullied at some point. According to Saben Littlefield, the organization’s anti-bullying campaign coordinator, “It’s the first time for some of them that they’ve acknowledged it to other people.”

The presentations are presented to audiences ranging from eight to two hundred students depending upon the school’s needs.

One activity that they engage in is to discuss the gender spectrum and gender stereotypes by discussing what the students feel are the most stereotypically masculine or feminine celebrities, and then discuss what makes these celebrities fit those stereotypes. Littlefield also has stated that they discuss just how realistic these gender ideals are.

The earmark, a guaranteed funding source, will go to help pay Littlefield as well as to defray travel expenses. It will also help to expand the program into eight of Vermont’s fourteen counties’ more rural areas. It will be expanded into Bennington, Caledonia, Essex, Lamoille, Orange, Orleans, Windham and Windsor. The funds will also help to create more permanent programs for LGBTQ youth in Rutland and Brattleboro. According to Murray “The hope is that the earmark will be a foundation and we can hire someone else in one of those underserved communities.”

Welch loves the process. He stated “Vermonters need to look no further than the tragic 2003 suicide of Essex eighth grader Ryan Halligan to understand the horrific consequences of juvenile bullying and harassment,” he says. “In the seven years since, we have made strides in raising awareness of this endemic problem — but we have not solved it.”

Vermont’s LGBT Community qualifies as its largest single minority group with five percent of the population being openly lesbian or gay.

Image via Wikipedia

7/13/10-by Paula Brooks
The American Bar Association has announced it will vote on a measure that would urge state, territorial and tribal governments to eliminate laws restricting marriage between same-sex partners during its annual House of Delegates meeting in San Francisco next month.

The resolution backed by 14 groups, including the New York State Bar Association, the New York City Bar and the Massachusetts Bar Association, seeks to build on past ABA policies supporting protections for same-sex couples and their families.

“Everyone who worked on it is hopeful,” said Michele Kahn, a partner at Kahn & Goldberg who chairs a New York State Bar committee on gay rights and added so far no formal opposition has come forward against the measure.

The American Bar Association House of Delegates is the policy-making body of the association. Action taken by the House of Delegates on specific issues becomes official ABA policy.

In 2004, ABA’s House of Delegates also approved a recommendation opposing efforts of the Bush Administration to enact federal legislation preventing states from allowing same-sex marriage.

(source)

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Two gay Republican groups are also joining a growing list of Republicans who are slamming Steele for recent remarks he made that were critical of operations in Afghanistan.

Steele, whose term as RNC chairman has been marked by a myriad of controversial statements and gaffes, annoyed member of the GOP once again after he questioned U.S. military strategy in Afghanistan during an appearance at the fundraiser.

“This is not something the United States had actively prosecuted or wanted to engage in,” Steele said. “It was the president who was trying to be cute by half by flipping a script demonizing Iraq, while saying the battle really should be Afghanistan. Well, if he’s such a student of history, has he not understood that you know that’s the one thing you don’t do, is engage in a land war in Afghanistan?”

And faster then you can call 911, Steele’s remarks drew an almost immediate negative reaction from several in the GOP.

“I think those statements are wildly inaccurate, and there’s no excuse for them,” Arizona Senator John McCain said from Kabul on the ABC News program “This Week.” “I believe we have to win here. I believe in freedom. But the fact is that I think that Mr. Steele is going to have to assess as to whether he can still lead the Republican Party.”

Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina said on CBS’s “Face the Nation” “This is not President Obama’s war; this is America’s war. We need to stand behind the president.”

According to the Washington Blade, even gay Republicans are piling on.

R. Clarke Cooper, executive director of the National Log Cabin Republicans and Iraq war veteran, said Steele’s comments were “unwise and untimely.”

Jimmy LaSalvia, executive director of GOProud, said of Steele, “I think that if you look at the totality of his tenure at the RNC, there’s been one thing after another,” LaSalvia said. “This election cycle is just too important to go through with somebody at the helm of the RNC who doesn’t have the confidence of conservatives and members of his party.”

GOP leaders have not been eager to try to replace Steele, despite the fact he has become the gift that keeps on giving to the DNC, in the middle of a midterm election campaign, but it is now an open question whether Steele will be able to withstand his latest bout with foot in mouth disease.

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Lez Get Real wrote a piece publishing a letter by a Canadian Gay man Noah Gurza.  The comments were diverse and interesting. The Article can be found here at http://lezgetreal.com/2010/06/toronto-pride-torrontonians-emotional-plea/

I have chosen to publish this one comment that appeared on Lezgetreal, together with its call for action as by  Bernie Farber, one of Canada’s leading experts on antisemitism and human rights.  Bernie M. Farber is the National Chief Executive Officer of Canadian Jewish Congress (CJC) . Thanks for for drawing attention to the strengthening support for Pride by the Jewish community and other supporters of Israel.  This is a time to show up for what you believe and to show PRIDE for what is good, non-divisive and Positive.

Bernie M. Farber

Mr. Farber has spent more than 20 years with CJC, battling hatred and racism and strengthening relationships with police services, government and other ethnic and faith communities across the country.

The recipient of countless awards, Mr. Farber is an associate member of the Ontario Association of Chiefs of Police, and was recently selected by the Ontario government to serve as a member of the Hate Crimes Community Working Group. He also serves with the city of Vaughan Mayor’s Task Force on Community Safety and Security and the York Regional Police Community Crime Prevention Advisory Council.

Mr. Farber is a published author and has contributed numerous articles on the Jewish political scene, human rights issues, the Holocaust, hate crime and white supremacy to newspapers and periodicals including The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Globe and Mail, the National Post, the Toronto Star, and many others.

Here is Mr. Farber’s comment on the earlier Piece:

“Noah: Thank you for your inspired thinking and articulate manner in which you have addressed this issue. There is however one important area where we respectfully differ. CJC will be joing Kulanu (the Jewish LGBTQ group) and other Jewish organizations including UJA, Canada Israel Committee, Friends of Simon Wiesenthal and many synagogues at the Pride parade . In my view,the vast majority of Pride goers have nothing to do with “Queers Against Israeli Apartheid (QuAIA)”. Literally hundreds of thousands of people (some say up to 1 million) people watch the Pride parade, we have the support of fourToronto mayoralty candidates some of whom will join us under the Kulanu flag and many many more. Do you really want QuAIA to be the only voice on Israel in a parade that receives national attention? Imagine if you will a sea of Canadian and Israeli flags as we all march as proud Jews together “Kulanu” extolling the virtue of the only country in the Middle East that defends and protects its LGBTQ citizens.  I urge you and any others reading this message to join us onSunday. You can get all the details on our site http://www.cjc.ca Show no fear; Stand up and be counted.”

Toronto – Sunday, July 4th, please join Kulanu, Canadian Jewish Congress, UJA Federation, Canada Israel Committee and Friends of Simon Wiesenthal  to march in support of tolerance and Israel at the Toronto Pride Parade!  Show those who seek to harm our community that we will not be intimidated into silence!

1. 10:00am -12:00pm: Visit the Kulanu Toronto booth

(located just north of  Wellesley on the west side of Church Street) to purchase Pride T-shirts and water bottles.

2. 12:15pm: Line up for the march at the corner of Bloor and Jarvis, Section F9.

Look for the Israeli flags and Kulanu Toronto banner.

3. 2:00pm: The march begins

4. 4:00pm: The march ends

Bring hats, water bottles, sunscreen, and your Jewish pride and enthusiasm!
Come sing and dance to Hebrew music as we parade down Church Street!

By Melanie Nathan
Nathan@privatecourts.com

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According to FOXNews.com , The Greater Phoenix Gay and Lesbian Chamber of Commerce on Monday blasted out an e-mail to hundreds of its members along with two groups spearheading boycotts against the state — the Human Rights Campaign and the National Gay and Lesbian Chamber of Commerce. The e-mail, which urged those two groups to “rescind” their boycott and chamber members to pester them until they do, came after the Phoenix chamber was unable to privately convince the national groups to cool their rhetoric.

“We feel the boycott of the entire state of Arizona is counter-productive to the issue at hand. Punishing Arizona businesses will not change the minds of any partisan legislature politician, including Arizona’s,” said the e-mail sent out Monday. “Our entire state has been miscast as racist, unsophisticated and dangerous in the worst of the ‘Wild West’ stereotypes.”

The groups e-mail urged those opposed to Arizona’s law to consider signing a statement denouncing it, rather than imposing a boycott.

The Arizona group has also accused HRC of trying to ingratiate themselves to Latino advocacy groups as well as the Service Employees International Union and expressing concern that the move will discourage gay and lesbian couples from visiting Arizona.

On June 16 the HRC issued a statement on it website defending its actions saying, “We understand that Arizonans stand on many sides of this issue. We have taken a principled stand that we believe is just as important to LGBT people as it is to Latinos and immigrants. The nature of our boycott is also quite limited. We encourage Arizona residents and visitors to patronize businesses that have supported the LGBT community and that are engaged in opposing SB 1070. Thank you for your continued support as we work through this issue.”

Addendum: Local HRC Arizona Area Representative Kathy Young had no comment on the issue and referred LGR to the Washington DC Hq of the HRC.

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Traci Turpin, of Knoxville, who was married her partner in Washington, D.C. last week,  returned to her home in Tennessee, where she set about changing her name on her legal documents, including her driver’s license as most newly weds would.

Ms. Turpin says the Social Security office changed her name with no questions, but said after initially issuing a new license, Department of Motor Vehicles employees decided not honor Turpin’s D.C marriage certificate and according to WUSA News, went as far as to have a DMV employee chase Turpin down as she was leaving the office in her car to demand she return the license, saying Tennessee does not recognize same sex marriages.

When Turpin refused to return the document, DMV employees called the police.

Eventually, Turpin returned the new license and received another with her old last name, but said, “How dare her employee run out to my car, in front of everybody and say, ‘You’ve got to give me the license back, we don’t recognize same sex marriage,’ out loud.”

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The CRCOA, it seems, is particularly upset with K of C Supreme Knight Carl Anderson and Supreme Advocate John Marrella for ignoring an earlier call to axe “at least 16 state senators and representatives in Massachusetts, 10 of whom received top ratings from Planned Parenthood, negated a petition drive by 170,000 citizens to put traditional marriage on the ballot.” So CRCOA wants them deposed.

In a press release the group said, “For all their good works, the Knights’ national leadership stubbornly harbors enemies of unborn babies and man-woman marriage. This past January 13, Supreme Advocate John Marrella, without any legal basis, directed that members and state and local councils must not contact politicians about matters of faith and morals, except as “private citizens.”

The group is also pulling out the big guns and is trying to enlist Pope Benedict to assist them in their little beer hall putsch.

The Knights of Columbus is the world’s largest Catholic fraternal service organization. There are more than 1.8 million members in 14,000 councils.

The CRCOA website says that the Concerned Roman Catholics of America, Inc. is a lay organization, with many religious members, that is dedicated to promoting orthodox Catholic teaching and fighting heterodoxy and corruption within Religious Education Congresses, retreats, the Catholic education establishment, and the Catholic hierarchy.

The groups founder & chairman, Kenneth M. Fisher, is a warrior against “heresy, dissent and outright apostasy” and is also not real big fan of the “pro-abortion, pro-sodomite President this Nation”. Fisher, moreover, regularly defends Benedict and the Church hierarchy for their role in the Child sex abuse scandal.

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The ban was instituted in 1983, to prevent HIV-AIDS from entering the blood donation supply. It officially prohibits any man who has had sex with another man since 1977 from donating. But recently a group of senators led by Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass., had called upon the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to lift the ban.

In his testimony to the blood advisory committee, Kerry called the policy discriminatory. “This lingering policy is responsible for turning away thousands of healthy donors from blood clinics across the country,” said Kerry.

The American Red Cross and other heath organizations have long advocated that this policy is medically unnecessary, due to the state of improved rigorous testing regimes. Technology currently in use by blood bank can detect HIV up to seven days after the individual has been infected and all available data also shows that the error rate for these tests is low.

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Queers United reports the group is planning to have “flash mobs of same-sex couples in cities throughout the world kiss in public” to bring attention to the International Day Against Homophobia & Transphobia .

Kiss-in’s are scheduled to be held in in The UK, France, Switzerland, Portugal, Spain, Germany, The Netherlands, Australia, Canada, and The U.S.; and internet users are being encouraged to submit video footage of their same-sex kisses as well.

The Great Global Kiss-in is an official project by the Committee for the International Day Against Homophobia & Transphobia (IDAHO) and Gays.com.

About the Author: Julie Phineas is a work at home mom of 2 who lives in Southern California. You can find out more about her by visiting her website at www.juliephineas.com.

Chely Wright to will appear at the 21st Annual GLAAD Media Awards in San Francisco on June 5

“In coming out, Chely Wright offers country music fans a tremendous opportunity to better understand the LGBT Community,” announced GLAD in a statement released on May 3rd, following the decision of famed Country Singer, Chely Wright to come out as a lesbian.

“ The importance of conversations that move us toward lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender equality,” said Jarrett Barrios, President of the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD). “As more and more gay and lesbian people live their lives openly and honestly, acceptance and understanding of our community continues to grow. With her decision to come out, Chely Wright promises to be a compelling new voice in that discussion.”

Chely Wright will appear at the 21st Annual GLAAD Media Awards in San Francisco on June 5, 2010. At the event, Cybill Shepherd will receive the Golden Gate Award and Lee Daniels, the Academy Award-nominated director of “Precious,” will receive the Davidson/Valentini Award.
The GLAAD Media Awards elevate and promote fair, accurate and inclusive stories of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) issues, people and allies that have increased awareness, understanding and respect for the lives of LGBT people. The GLAAD Media Awards also fund GLAAD’s work to amplify stories of LGBT people and issues that build support for equality.

GLAAD Media Awards – San Francisco Registration

GLAAD Media Awards – San Francisco June 5, 2010 San Francisco Marriott Marquis Purchase tickets or host a table Join us as we announce additional award recipients at the 21st Annual GLAAD Media Awards in San Francisco!

Posted by Melanie Nathan

MEL NATHAN’ s
LGBT Binational Immigration Column; Stories and UAFA

http://lezgetreal.com/?cat=5029

Melanie has authored a VISA – for Binational LGBT Permanent Partners, fiance’s and spouses- as a stop gap measure to bring Bi-nationals back from exile and to help those currently facing unnecessary legal consequences. Please click her to support this much needed interim remedy. Immigration reform is a long way away for those who are either in separation or who are married to Americans yet still face deportation:

TO SIGN PETITION PLEASE CLICK HERE ;
http://immigration.change.org/petitions/view/special_visa_for_binational_lgbt_spouse-perma-partners

Melanie Nathan LGBT Advocate

By Melanie Nathan
binationals@privatecourts.com

@oblogdeeoblogda

5-5-10  MELANIE NATHAN

Lambda Legal Case:

“This is a terrific outcome for our client and her six-and-a-half-year-old son. New York has recognized the legal parent-child relationship established after this couple entered into a civil union in Vermont.”

(New York, May 5, 2010) — In a decision yesterday, all seven judges on the New York State Court of Appeals ruled that a non-biological mother, represented by Lambda Legal, is a legal parent and entitled to seek custody and visitation based on a Vermont civil union that she and her former partner entered into prior to the birth of their son.

“This is a terrific outcome for our client and her six-and-a-half-year-old son. New York has recognized the legal parent-child relationship established after this couple entered into a civil union in Vermont,” said Susan Sommer, Director of Constitutional Litigation at Lambda Legal. “While this is a great result for Debra and her son, unfortunately a majority of the Court did not go further and overrule its 1991 Alison D. That decision allowed only biological or adoptive parents to seek custody and visitation. Today’s decision only added one new category of protection for families. Children whose parents conceive them using an anonymous donor but haven’t traveled out of state to enter into a civil union or marriage should be protected as well. The legislature should follow the lead taken by many other states and pass legislation clarifying children’s legal relationships with both their intended parents.”

The Court of Appeals ruled that “New York will recognize parentage created by a civil union in Vermont. Our determination that Debra H. is M.R.’s parent allows her to seek visitation and custody at a best-interest hearing.”

With this victory in New York’s highest court, Debra H. now is able to proceed in the trial court to seek custody and visitation with her son, as well as to provide him with financial support. A trial judge will ultimately rule on what is in the best interest of the child.

Today, the Court of Appeals also decided another case, H.M. v. E.T., involving a same-sex couple who conceived a child with an anonymous donor, but in which the non-biologically related partner now argues that she is not the child’s parent and should not be required to provide child support. The high court ruled that Family Court has jurisdiction to hear the case and determine whether the woman is the child’s parent.

Background on Debra H. v. Janice R.

Lambda Legal represents Debra H. in her effort to continue to parent the son she and her former civil union partner, Janice R., planned together. The couple agreed they would raise a family together in a two-parent household and conceived their son using in vitro fertilization. Janice promised that Debra would formally adopt their child, and they met with an adoption lawyer prior to their son’s birth. In 2003, before he was born, they entered into a civil union in Vermont, which at that time was the most legally significant relationship available to same-sex couples under U.S. law. Debra was by Janice’s side throughout labor and delivery and cut their son’s umbilical cord; her last name was included in their son’s name on his birth certificate. In the years that followed Debra gave him the day and night love, nurture and care of a mother. When it came time for the second-parent adoption, Janice, who is a lawyer, advised Debra “as a lawyer” that they didn’t need to get the courts involved and that Debra would always be the boy’s parent. When the couple’s relationship ended in 2006, Debra continued actively to parent her son, who moved with Janice into an apartment only a block away. Debra and her son were together daily, and she often put him to bed.

Early in May of 2008, when the child was four-and-a-half-years-old, Janice abruptly refused Debra any further contact with him. Debra immediately filed for emergency joint custody and restoration of parental access. The trial court ordered interim regular ongoing visitation and allowed Debra’s petition to proceed to trial. When Janice appealed, Lambda Legal entered the case in early 2009 on Debra’s behalf. The case was argued in the Appellate Division, First Department in March 2009, and on April 9, 2009, the trial court decision was reversed. The New York Court of Appeals then accepted the case for appeal and heard argument on February 17, 2010. Many prominent legal and child welfare experts filed friend-of-the-court briefs on Debra’s side, including the New York State Bar Association, the New York City Bar Association, the National Association of Social Workers, child advocates and 45 family law professors on the faculty of every law school in New York State.

The child’s court-appointed attorney also asked the court to give Debra the opportunity to protect their parent-child relationship.

Susan Sommer, Director of Constitutional Litigation at Lambda Legal, argued the appeal on behalf of Debra. She is joined by co-counsel Bonnie Rabin and Orrit Hershkovitz of Cohen, Hennessey, Bienstock & Rabin, P.C. and by Lambda Legal affiliated attorney Jeremy Sanders. Debra’s son is represented by Anthony Parisi, III and counsel Jennifer Colyer of Fried, Frank, Harris, Shriver & Jacobson LLP, who argued the case in the Court of Appeals.

Posted by Melanie Nathan
nathan@privatecourts.com

5-3-10 Posted by MELANIE NATHAN-San Francisco, California

Kate Kendall, Photo by Melanie Nathan

Today, the National Center for Lesbian Rights announced that it is adding a new position, federal policy attorney, to its national legal team. NCLR’s new attorney, Maya R. Rupert, will be based in the organization’s Eastern Regional Office in Washington, D.C. where she will focus on federal and state efforts to end discrimination and ensure equality under the law.

“This is a critical time for the LGBT community on the federal level, as we face unprecedented legal challenges and opportunities across a tremendous array of issues from discrimination in a number of settings to immigration to relationship and family recognition,” said NCLR Executive Director Kate Kendell. “Since our founding in 1977, NCLR has played an increasingly visible national role in pioneering new legal strategies and policy initiatives to advocate for the most vulnerable members of our community. We look forward to expanding our role in the federal arena, and Maya is a perfect fit for this position.”

Before joining NCLR, Rupert was an associate with Sidley Austin LLP’s Los Angeles office, where she served as a public interest fellow with the ACLU Drug Law Reform Project. She is a columnist for the L.A. Watts Times, where she writes on issues of race, gender, and politics. Rupert clerked for the Honorable Eric L. Clay of the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals. She graduated in 2006 from the University of California, Berkeley School of Law (Boalt Hall), where she was editor-in-chief of the Berkeley Journal of Gender, Law and Justice and a notes and comments editor of the African American Law and Policy Report. Prior to attending law school, she worked as the program director for the International Bill of Rights Project and  served as the research assistant with the Michael D. Palm Center, a research institute of the University of California, Santa Barbara, which promotes the study of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people in the armed forces.

In her role as NCLR’s attorney for federal policy, Rupert will work to carry out NCLR’s mission to advance the civil and human rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people and their families through litigation, public policy advocacy, and public education.

By Melanie Nathan

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A crowd of over 1,200 members and allies of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) community celebrated the 33rd anniversary of the National Center for Lesbian Rights (NCLR) on Saturday night. In addition to celebrating the achievements of the past year, NCLR honored Vicki Randle and Will Phillips for their commitment to advancing the rights of the LGBT community, as well as Wolfe Video and Curve Magazine for their tremendous contributions to the community.

Olivia Cruise and Resorts also stepped up to the plate in true OLIVIA fashion, donating a cruise to the fundraising auction.

• Voice and Visibility Award: Vicki Randle, was the first (and only) female member of the Tonight Show Band, starting with host Jay Leno in 1992.
• Fierce Ally Award: Will Phillips, the ten-year-old fifth grader from Arkansas who gained international attention for his refusal to say the United States Pledge of Allegiance at West Fork Elementary School because of its false promise of “liberty and justice for all.”
• Outstanding Community Partner Award: Wolfe Video and Curve Magazine

Lynch & Embry at NCLR Photo by Melanie Nathan

Curve Magazine and Wolfe Video were honored during NCLR’s anniversary reception with NCLR’s Outstanding Community Partner Award, which recognizes organizations and companies for their unwavering support of the LGBT community and their long-standing relationship with NCLR.  Curve Magazine, from its humble beginnings as a ’90s zine, has grown into the nation’s best-selling lesbian magazine, read by more women than any other national gay or lesbian publication. Wolfe video, now in its 25th year, is the oldest and largest exclusive distributor of gay and lesbian films in the world.

In addition to the awards recipients, special guests included Constance McMillen and Ceara Sturgis. McMillen was unable to attend her prom after her school canceled it rather than let her attend in a tuxedo with her girlfriend. Sturgis was told she could not wear a tuxedo in her senior picture and was omitted from her school’s yearbook.

Pledge of Allegiance, Photo by Melanie Nathan

“In addition to honoring the remarkable achievements of Vicki Randle and Will Phillips, the night was made even more special by having Constance, Ceara, and their attorneys from the ACLU. The night was about celebrating the courage of our community, our history, and our future,” said Kate Kendell, Executive Director of the National Center for Lesbian Rights.

Chris Williamson & Vickie Randall Photo by Melanie Nathan

One of the highlights of the evening was the celebration of Jane Lynch and Lara Embry’s engagement. Lynch and Embry, who had met at the previous year’s gala, were surprised with a custom cake by Elizabeth Falkner of Citizen Cake.

For more information on NCLR’s 33rd Anniversary Gala, visit http://www.nclrights.org/2010ann.

Melanie Nathan

By MELANIE NATHAN
nathan@privatecourts.com
photos Melanie Nathan/Lezgetreal 2010©

follow me @oblogdeeoblogda

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With NCLR and 2,000  San Francisco Lesbians

- And what a night it was!  I first saw Constance as she walked proudly into the Green Room at the Metreon in San Francisco.  She was wearing a gorgeous black cocktail dress and her beauty and elegance belied her 17 years.

We sat down to our interview; her answers eloquent and resolute, demonstrated fervor her for newly sparked activism.

Constance McMillen is a young lesbian high school student in Mississippi who prompted school officials to cancel her prom, because she wanted to attend with her girlfriend.

Constance told me that she was still being harassed at school by students pointing at her, talking about her and snickering with ridicule. In fact they have made it impossible for her to stay at school and she will be transferring to a different school to complete her schooling before going on to college.

She expressed how important it is for people to express displeasure at things that are unjust and that allies, not only LGBT people, should speak out about discrimination and injustice.

Constance was accompanied by her attorney, Christine Sun and after the interview joined all the women in the enormous hall where she appeared briefly on stage with Kate Clinton, Jane Lynch and Kate Kendell, Executive Director of NCLR.

No Prom could have provided the glitz and glamor of this one; – as NCLR, celebrating its 33^rd Anniversary, went all out on providing all the trimmings, to create an ambiance worthy of such celebration; from live band to fun food stands, trapeze artists and DJ extraordinaire.

However, with all the bop and bounce,  nothing resonates more intensely for me than Constance words – when I asked how many Proms she had been invited to, she said many.  A sad look came across her face, as she went on to say that no substitute Prom, nor any amount of extravagance, could ever replace her school prom, the one that she had looked so forward to for so long, that had been canceled by the School in its endeavor to bar Constance from attending with her girlfriend.

We will follow this Post with video of my interview with our young hero….

Melanie Nathan LGBT ADvocate /Activist

By Melanie Nathan
nathan@privatecourts.com

Picture: By Lezgetreal: Constance McMillen and small gathering of LGBT invited Press.

The National Center for Lesbian Rights, NCLR,  is a national legal organization committed to advancing the civil and human rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people and their families through litigation, public policy advocacy, and public education.

Year Founded: 1977

What We Do: NCLR is a non-profit, public interest law firm which litigates precedent-setting cases at the trial and appellate court levels; advocates for equitable public policies affecting the LGBT community; provides free legal assistance to LGBT people and their legal advocates; and conducts community education on LGBT legal issues.

Who We Serve: More than 5,000 lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people and their families in all fifty states each year, including LGBT seniors, immigrants, athletes, and youth. And our impact litigation serves all LGBT people in the United States.

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Tonight I will be attending the Anniversary party for NCLR in San Francisco and one of the guests attending will be Constance McMillen and her Girlfriend.

Constance McMillen was the Mississippi Teen barred from her school prom and sent on a wild goose chase to a phony prom as a ruse.

We will celebrate with NCLR and Constance at a party the likes of which no PROM could ever imagine.  I will be taking my Photographer along with me and we have been slotted a time to interview Constance.  I would like to choose 2 questions from readers to ask Constance.  If you want to submit your question or even have me deliver a message, please respond here or on

LEZGETREAL’ S facebook Fan Page

Looking forward to some sincere creativity

…thanks for participating, Mel.

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4/29/10-by Paula Brooks

Here is a guy who appears to have been looking for a job with the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith in Rome…

A Racine County Wisconsin Human Services child protective service investigator has been fired and is under criminal investigation for allegedly filing false reports on child abuse cases he never actually took the time to investigate.

According to the Racine Times Journal,Todd O’Brien, who has been employed with the Racine HSD since 1998, has been busted after he filed detailed reports that labeling allegations of abuse as unsubstantiated when in fact he never really spoke to anyone or went to any of the abused children’s homes.

Racine County Human Services Director Debra Jossart said, O’Brien, a child protective services initial assessment worker tasked with investigating complaints of child abuse and neglect, was terminated Tuesday after co-workers following up on one of his previous cases discovered O’Brien had never spoken with anyone in the family.

Ms. Jossart said Racine County HSD workers were in the process of investigating a case and were speaking with family members to determine where the children involved in that case could be placed. O’Brien had once investigated one of the relatives on the list, according to the HSD report he filed.However, when HSD workers contacted the family and asked them about the previous investigation, the family said there never was one.

Jossart said, “That’s when he was suspended.”

Needless to say, Jossart and the Racine HSD also say they are furious over the black eye the situation gives the department.

“I have never been so angry,” Jossart said. “It is not common practice. I’ve never had a case like this. We have hard-working, dedicated staff who care about children. They are angry about this.”

Racine County officials say charges could be forthcoming against O’Brien for misconduct in public office and fraud, and Racine County Sheriff Bob Carlson said Wednesday that his department is investigating the case but added his department isn’t getting much information.

“The investigation is still open,” Carlson said. “At this point, (O’Brien) is refusing to talk to investigators. He lawyered up.”

There has also been no word if Mr. O’Brien is planning to rent the spare room at Cardinal Bernard Francis Law’s House in Rome.

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The L.A. Gay & Lesbian Center’s Lily Tomlin/Jane Wagner Cultural Arts Center and veteran stage, television and film actor David Youse are joining forces with Oscar® and Tony Award-winner Joel Grey to present the historic, 25th anniversary staged reading of Larry Kramer’s classic drama, The Normal Heart. This extraordinary celebrity reading, featuring some of the finest actors working today, will take place at Westwood’s Geffen Playhouse at 8 p.m. on Monday, May 17.

Proceeds from the one-night-only event will benefit the L.A. Gay & Lesbian Center’s Jeffrey Goodman Special Care Clinic, which provides quality, free or low-cost medical care for people living with HIV/AIDS (this event does not benefit the Geffen Playhouse). Tickets may be purchased at: www.lagaycenter.org/thenormalheart.

The cast features Emmy® Award-winner Lisa Kudrow, in the key role of Dr. Emma Brookner, Clark Gregg (The New Adventures of Old Christine) as Ben and David Eigenberg (Sex in the City) as Mickey. Additions to the cast will be announced in the coming days.

Among the countless highlights of Joel Grey’s nearly sixty-year career is his starring role in the original production of The Normal Heart, in which he played the central role of Ned, based semi-autobiographically on Mr. Kramer himself. This experience accords Mr. Grey an incomparable insight into the play, as well as a passionate commitment to the piece and to the issue it revolutionized: the AIDS epidemic.

The Normal Heart focuses on the terrifying early years of the AIDS epidemic in New York and the criminal silence of official America in dealing with it. First produced by Joseph Papp and directed by Michael Lindsay-Hogg for New York’s Public Theater, the play was a critical sensation and ran for 294 performances.   READ MORE …..

WHAT: THE NORMAL HEART
25th Anniversary staged reading

Written by Larry Kramer
Directed by Joel Grey

WHERE: The Geffen Playhouse
10886 Le Conte Avenue
Los Angeles, CA 90024-3021

WHEN: Monday, May 17 at 8 p.m.
Pre-performance reception at 6 p.m.
$50 (General admission)

Available on-line at www.lagaycenter.org/thenormalheart.

NCLR celebrates 33 years of LGBT legal Advocacy ON MAY 1

San Francisco, California, April 27, 2010  Melanie Nathan —

The National Center for Lesbian Rights (NCLR), a national legal organization committed to advancing the civil and human rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people, will hold its annual Anniversary Party with drinks and dancing in the heart of San Francisco.

NCLR’s event will be the not to be missed event of the year and unlike many big gala events this one is affordable! So call and see if there is still room.

Come celebrate NCLR’s groundbreaking legal work with a lavish party.Anniversary Party to be held on Saturday, May 1^st at the Metreon Cityview Terrace.

Enjoy food and drinks, excellent DJ’s, very special guests, and live entertainment. For more information, visit www.nclrights.org/2010ann.

Special guest Constance McMillen will attend the National Center for Lesbian Rights annual gala on Saturday, May 1 at Metreon Cityview in San Francisco. The 33^rd Anniversary Celebration is NCLR’s annual signature event that draws a sell-out crowd of 1,700 lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people and their supporters.

What: National Center for Lesbian Rights 2010 Anniversary Celebration

Where: Anniversary Party at Metreon Cityview Terrace, 4th Floor, Green Room

When: Saturday, May 1, 2010

From 9:20-9:35 PM

Who: Constance McMillen

Christine Sun, Senior Attorney, ACLU Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender & AIDS Project

LEZGETREAL will be there to meet and Photograph  Constance and many other Activists  and supporters who will attend.  Look out for us and our Cameras so we can get you up on our Social Pages….

Melanie Nathan
nathan@privatecourts.com

That is  Melanie in the Middle of  Picture

To the left of me, Helen Zia and to the Right Therese Stewart

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• The National Center for Lesbian Rights celebrates 33 years of LGBT legal Advocacy (lezgetreal.com)
• Kate Kendell and the National Center for Lesbian Rights (lesbianlife.about.com)
• Constance Special Guest at NCLR’s 33rd Anniversary Celebration, known as “the lesbian prom” (lezgetreal.com)

Image via Wikipedia

4-26-2010 – Melanie Nathan

Out4Immigration  also reports that there’s a lot going on in our fight for equal immigration rights for same-sex binational couples and  families. Here are some updates and the latest news resulting from Out4Immigration’s unrelenting activism.

As previously reported, Rep. Jerrold Nadler (D-NY-8), the sponsor of  Uniting American Families Act (UAFA), asserts that the best chance of it passing is for it to be attached to comprehensive immigration reform. Although, according to Nadler UAFA is “not likely to move on its own” and “the best way to get it passed is to get it attached to the comprehensive immigration reform bill that Congress will consider this summer.”  Gay People’s Chronicle .

According to Amos Lim of Out4Immigration, this is no reason to stop garnering UAFA co-sponsorships in the House and Senate.”The more co-sponsors we add to the bill that already has the most sponsors of any immigration bill, the better our chances are that we are included in CIR. It is also why we need to continue forging alliances with the larger immigrant community to make sure we have their support.”

I believe that if we do in fact garnish more signatures we may find ourselves having to press at some point for a stand alone anyway, because the prospects for us getting into CIR is miserable and the outcome even if we are included at some point is equally miserable. That is why I have authored a Binational stop gap measure in the form of a visa petition, which I will be taking to DC in June, 2010.

On April 23, Rep. Kathy Castor (D-FL-11) became co-sponsor #122 of UAFA.  Rep. Castor was a past supporter of the bill, and had been targeted by the Out4Immigration Weekly Letter Writing Campaign at Change.org. With 123 total sponsors (including Rep. Jerrold Nadler, who introduced the bill), UAFA is the immigration bill with the most sponsors in the House.

Out4Immigration volunteers and allies have had resolutions passed in two more cities in the last two weeks. Miami Beach, FL and Ferndale, MI join more than 10 other cities and municipalities whose elected officials have passed these resolutions calling on their state’s Congressional representatives and Senators to become co-sponsors of UAFA. These are true grassroots efforts, garnering support for this much needed change to federal law from the ground up.  The organization is asking that all consider proposing a resolution to their city, county or state.  To learn more about this go to the website at www.out4immigration.org

One such volunteer Tim K. in Cleveland is taking steps to get the city of Cleveland, OH to pass a resolution in support of UAFA. As a first step he has gotten the Greater Cleveland LGBT Center to pass their own resolution in support of the legislation, which should give Tim some additional leverage as he works this resolution up the ladder.  Tom Tierney another activist and volunteer strategy coordinator reports that numerous other cities are considering passing resolutions as well.

Volunteer members at out4I, an all volunteer grass root organization,  are continually telling their stories of empowerment, of luck and frustration to raise awareness about what it’s like to be in a same-sex binational relationship and struggle with the hardships of immigration discrimination.

In addition to the compelling binational stories in LEZGETREAL’s binational column read how Pete F.’s meeting with Rep. Chris Murphy (D-CT-5) and Esther’s good fortune of winning a green card through the diversity lottery on the OUT4I website.

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• Bi-National Same-Sex Couples Continue to Wait- The Case for a Special Visa! (lezgetreal.com)
• BREAKING: Out 4 Immigration Spearheads New All Inclusive Plan for UAFA (lezgetreal.com)
• LGBT Immigration Rights one Year Milestone for Out4Immigration (lezgetreal.com)
• Congressman Nadler talks UAFA Strategy with Bi-National Activists seeking Immigration Equality (lezgetreal.com)
• White House Calls for Immigration Reform Dsicussion with Senators Schumer & Graham (lezgetreal.com)
• San Francisco calling for a boycott of Arizona (sfgate.com)

4/26/10-by Paula Brooks
The estranged son of a mega-hater Fred Phelps, said last week that while society is quick to take steps to protect children, it seems “curiously blind” when religious beliefs jeopardize a child’s safety.

According to KansasCity.com, Nate Phelps, 51, the son of controversial Westboro Baptist church pastor Fred Phelps, spoke to about 675 people in Topeka on Saturday, and described the fear, intimidation and abuse he endured before leaving the family and church on his 18th birthday.

The event’s sponsors were the Richard Dawkins Foundation, the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Center and the Metropolitan Community Church of Topeka.

Westboro Baptist members, many of them Fred Phelps’ children and grandchildren, have conducted gay protests across the Nation since 1991 and in recent years, began picketing the funerals of US service members killed in Iraq and Afghanistan, saying military deaths were the work of a wrathful God who punishes the United States for tolerating homosexuality.

The father of one Marine, who funeral Phelps picketed, sued the church to halt the demonstrations and The US Supreme Court said it would consider whether the churches actions were protected by the First Amendment this fall.

Phelps, who describes himself as an atheist, said he believed his father’s group would eventually become a footnote in history. But he encouraged people to do whatever they could to ensure Westboro Baptist’s actions “fall on barren soil and are cast away like dust in the wind.”

He also encouraged people to feel sympathy for members of his father’s church, “at least for the young children stuck in that situation.”

Notably absent from the younger Phelps speech, were any Westboro Baptist members, picketing the event.

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4-20-10- Melanie Nathan; The Women’s Conference® community is a global network of women who gather every year at the nation’s premier forum for women, hosted by California First Lady Maria Shriver and Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger. For two full days, more than 100 internationally-acclaimed leaders, visionaries, authors, journalists and artists come together with more than 25,000 women from all walks of life to be educated, inspired and empowered to be Architects of Change in their own lives, within their communities and around the world.

Beyond the annual event, The Women’s Conference community gathers daily online at www.WomensConference.org and throughout the year at events that serve, support and strengthen the larger community. The mission of The Women’s Conference is to create Architects of Change – people who see a problem and seek to create the solution, be it in their homes, their communities, their states or the world.

The Women’s Conference has become a “must attend” transformational event and full day passes sell out in record-breaking time each year. In 2009, tickets sold out in less than two hours. In response to this surging popularity and demand, The Conference expanded the event to two full days with the addition of A Day of Transformation and Night at The Village.

May 14-16:      I Can Do It! San Diego Conference

The Mind, Body & Soul Retreat featuring dozens of your favorite speakers including Dr. Wayne W. Dyer, Marianne Williamson, Cheryl Richardson, Joan Z. Borysenko, Ph.D., Louise L. Hay, and many more workshops ranging from health to spirituality.

• San Diego Convention Center

For more information visit www.icandoit.net or call 800-654-5126

June 9:     The Women’s Conference Press Announcement

Two weeks prior to registration, The Women’s Conference 2010 announces conference events, speakers & ticket information. Information will be available at www.womensconference.org.

June 23:    The Women’s Conference 2010 Online Ticket Registration

(Please note: Date is subject to change.)

To learn more about The Women’s Conference 2010, click HERE.

**Check out The Great Giveaway for a chance to win 2 free Special Guest Passes to The Women’s Conference 2010.

September 10-12:    Best Buddies Challenge

JOIN TEAM MARIA on a cycling adventure along the Pacific Coast Highway from Carmel to the Hearst Castle in San Simeon, which also includes an optional 5K & 3K walk. For more information, click HERE.

October 10:     Pier del Sol

JOIN US at a family festival & fundraiser for Special Olympics, Southern California

• Santa Monica Pier & Pacific Park
• 10am – 2pm

October 25-26:     The Women’s Conference 2010

The Nation’s Premier Forum for Women

• A Day of Health, Wellness & Transformation and Night at The Village – Oct. 25
• A Day of Empowerment & The Minerva Awards – Oct. 26
• Long Beach Convention Center
• To learn more about The Women’s Conference 2010, click HERE.

**Check out The Great Giveaway for a chance to win 2 free Special Guest Passes to The Women’s Conference 2010.

December 7:    Season of Giving Event – Sacramento

The Women’s Conference supports a statewide holiday food drive and tree lighting event.

• California State Capitol, Sacramento

December 14:    California Hall of Fame Event – Sacramento

To honor legendary people who embody California’s innovative spirit.

• The California Museum, Sacramento
• Visit www.californiamuseum.org

MARK YOUR CALENDARS!

The Women’s Conference 2010

October 25 & 26

Posted by Melanie Nathan

from Site of Womens Conference

4-20-210 -Melanie Nathan

The response to the horrific story of Clay Greene and Harold Scull has been very gratifying and inspiring. Clearly, their story struck a chord in all of us. To some degree we can’t help imagining ourselves in exactly this situation. Forty-eight hours ago, few people knew their names, and now a Facebook page in their honor has more than 7,000 fans. Quite simply, this case demonstrates how our relationships as LGBT people are so fragile, especially when we reach our later years. Just one small incident, in this case a fall down some steps, sends the world crashing down.

This was posted by Kate Kendell on Bilerco Project.

Harold and Clay were in a committed relationship for twenty-five years, and they lived together for twenty years. Both Harold and Clay had worked in Hollywood and were passionate collectors of film memorabilia. Harold had worked for MGM studios in the 1950s and was a favorite of Louis B. Mayer in the studio’s heyday. At the same time, Clay worked in television with many popular stars of that period. In addition to his film industry career, Harold was an accomplished artist and avid collector, especially of Mexican and Central American Santos religious art and artifacts. Art, heirlooms, and memorabilia graced the walls of their leased home, in which they planned to live together until their deaths.

Several folks have commented about the legal status of Clay and Harold’s relationship. These tragic events began in April 2008, one month before the California Supreme Court’s historic marriage ruling. By the time the California Supreme Court ruled and marriages began for that brief six months, Harold was already hospitalized and Clay imprisoned in a nursing home.

We can’t change what happened to Harold and Clay, but we can do what we try to do every day: to create a world where what happened to Harold and Clay never happens again.

The ruling was three to one in DCR’s favor. According to the ruling handed down:

The actions of the DCR Executive Board stemmed from a growing dissatisfaction with the leadership of the plaintiff, and this Court believes that the ensuing results, however drastic, reflect that dissatisfaction, and do not contain any discriminatory agenda or intent. There is no strong evidence showing that this dissatisfaction is due to the discrimination of the plaintiff’s sexual orientation, but rather purely on the quality of the plaintiff’s leadership. To this degree, the evidence presented does not support the claim that a LGBT-hostile community was created by the actions of the DCR.

The student government body did, however, find that certain individuals did attack Robinette for his sexuality, but that was not the reason why he was impeached. “Over the course of investigation, the Judiciary did discover that the plaintiff was allegedly discriminated by certain individuals using inappropriate language.”

The allegation that Robinette leveled against the DCR were “1. The DCR created a hostile environment towards those of the LGBT community. 2. He was discriminated against on the basis of his sexual orientation.4. DCR members intimidated him on the basis of his sexual orientation; that this intimidation led him to resign.” The third allegation that Robinette leveled against them did not include anything about his impeachment nor his sexuality. On that allegation- which stemmed from the DCR having someone on their board who should not have been- the student government found that the DCR had violated their own bylaws, but that situation was resolved fairly quickly as the man that violated those bylaws had already resigned.

It is not uncommon, unfortunately, for someone to try and use their status as a minority- be that racial, sexual, gender- to try and get out of problems that they find themselves in.

(Author’s Note: I would like to thank the anonymous commenter who posted these links to us. I am never above admitting that I do not have all the evidence in a particular case, and when I do not, I am always more than willing to hear more evidence. However, I will not brook rudeness. Please post additional or even contradictory evidence in a polite manner and I will be more than happy to look over it. The mark of a true academe is the willingness to always be willing to hear contrary and contradictory evidence whether or not that evidence agrees with the thesis or hypothesis that is presently held by that academe.)

What follows is the decision that was handed down by the Student Government:
Robinette v DCR, Majority

Duke College Republicans did not discriminate, student government rules

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4/20/10-by Paula Brooks
City Officials in Casper, Wyoming say there is nothing they can do to remove a homophobic message painted on a fence by a homeowner in that city.

Last week Chris Trumbull painted a sing that reads, Leviticus 20:13 “To be gay = death” on his fence located along a street where students walk each day on the way to the city’s Roosevelt High School and the Casper Boys & Girls Club.

Leviticus 20:13 reads; “If a man lies with a man as one lies with a woman, both of them have done what is detestable. They must be put to death; their blood will be on their own heads.”

While the message has been met with consternation from some city and school officials in Casper, they say the city can’t and shouldn’t remove the sign.

According to the Wyoming Star-Tribune, Casper City Code Enforcement Supervisor Shelley LeClere said Trumbull owns the fence and painted the sign. Trumbull was asked to remove his message, but he declined. Beyond asking, LeClere said, there was nothing the city could do. Trumbull’s message, whether appropriate or not, is protected speech.

“We don’t have an ordinance that prohibits you from having graffiti. If you get caught painting, that’s one thing, but it doesn’t preclude you from putting up your own message,” she said. “It’s freedom of speech. What is vulgar to one person is not to the other person.”

Roosevelt Principal Mike Pickett said, “It’s sad, but we have a Constitution … The nice thing about our students is that they understand that everyone is different,” he said. “The students haven’t said anything.”

Marty Wood, safe schools coordinator for the Natrona County School District, said the sign is a cause for concern, but he doubted the district could act to get it removed.

Wood did say he expected local educators to use the sign as an opportunity to teach. “I’d use it as a big learning piece about free speech and constitutional rights,” Wood said. “We live in a free country, so how do you handle disputes and differences of opinion?”

City can’t force owner to remove anti-gay sign.

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4/20/10-by Paula Brooks
In an interview last year with Gentleman’s Quarterly magazine, Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Steele compared being gay to being black and was quoted as doubting that ex-gays exist.

To date, Steele has refused to meet with members of the “ex-gay community.”

Now he has hurt the “ex-gays” feelings and they are catty mad about the his latest slight…. because it seems that the “ex-gays” were not invited to the RNC’s recent lesbian bondage club boys night out…

Greg Quinlan of Parents and Friends of Ex-Gays & Gays (PFOX), who’s mission is to encourage and support “ex-gays,” said in a statement released today, “Michael Steele, chair of the Republican National Committee, has consistently refused to meet with members of the ex-gay community. Now we know why. The RNC would rather use donor funds for its staff to watch lesbian erotica at nightclubs than help support individuals who wish to leave homosexuality.”

“It’s no wonder the RNC continues to lose factions of its members, such as Tea Party conservatives,” added Christopher Doyle, a “former gay” and PFOX board member. “Michael Steele would be better off if he extended ex-gays a place at the table rather than paying his staff to watch lesbians dance on it at strip clubs.”

Yeah that ought to get them “ex-gays” a seat at the table and maybe even a few lap dances on the next outing….

PFOX was founded in the late 1990’s, with political and financial backing from the Family Research Council as a way to prove being gay was a choice and not an innate characteristic. Their memberships includes Richard Cohen, a discredited therapist who was expelled for life from the American Counseling Association and who was instrumental in helping craft Uganda’s controversial Kill the Gays Bill.

The group should not feel too bad about the Steele slight, the National Association of Mental Health also declined PFOX’s application for booth space at their annual convention once and they have been denied participation at many events held by other reputable mental health organization, who mostly view PFOX as a bunch of wac-a-dootles.

RNC Pays for Lesbian Erotica While Refusing to Meet with Ex-Gays — WASHINGTON, April 20 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ –.

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4/19/10-by Paula Brooks
The former head of Duke University’s College Republicans claims his sexual orientation is the reason he no longer has his job.

Justin Robinette, a Duke junior, was impeached last week as chairman of Duke’s College Republicans and was requested to resign from that organization because of “conduct unbecoming of a person in a position of leadership.”

However Robinnette says,“Comments were made directly to me and my executive board before and after the meeting concerning my sexual orientation, calling me a supporter of the faggot center, calling me ironic, calling me disgusting.” Robinette also described the reasons held against him as “petty” and said most had occurred prior to his re-election as chairman on March 16.

Carter Boyle, the new chairman of the chapter, said Robinette’s sexuality wasn’t linked to the impeachment, but that Robinette disrespected members of the board, deliberately had ignored members of UNC’s College Republicans, did not attend events and used the organization’s funds for personal use.

Cliff Satell, former vice-chairman of the university’s College Republicans and president of the Duke Conservative Union, said he attended the meeting as a neutral observer. He said both sides were at fault, but he was appalled at the way the impeachment was carried out.

“There was no debate, no opportunity for rebuttal,” Satell said. “It was clear back room deal-making had been done.”

Although several members of the organization’s executive board knew Robinette was gay, executive director Samuel Tasher found out only the weekend before the meeting took place, Satell and Robinette said.

“The fact that it went from a few people knowing to a lot of people knowing was a catalyst to his impeachment,” Satell said. “If he wasn’t gay, he would still be chairman.”

http://www.dailytarheel.com/content/leader-duke-college-republicans-forced-out

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4/17/10-by Paula Brooks

He who is deaf, blind, and silent will live a hundred years in peace~ Sicilian proverb

Omertà is the code of ethics that a Mafioso follows when he swears into La Cosa Nostra. It says he must maintain absolute silence when questioned by law enforcement on the subject of alleged illegal activities by other members of the organization. This can result in one member “taking the fall” for others, facing criminal contempt of court charges or even taking sole responsibility for a crime that others committed. He does this with the assurance that he and his family will be supported by the organization during and after his imprisonment.

Late Thursday afternoon, Vatican spokesman Fr. Federico Lombardi released a statement about a letter from 2001 in which a cardinal appears to applaud a French bishop for his decision to not report a case of priestly sexual abuse to civil authorities.

The September 8, 2001 letter, published this week by French magazine Golias, in which then-prefect of the Congregation for the Clergy, Cardinal Dario Castrillon Hoyos, offered congratulations to Bishop Pierre Pican for choosing not to report a priest who had been accused of sexual abuse to civil authorities.

Cardinal Hoyos wrote Pican a saying; that he “rejoices” that he has a brother in the episcopate that would choose prison over reporting a priest under his watch.

“I congratulate you for not having reported a priest to the civil administration,” wrote Hoyos.

The priest, Abbot Renè Bissey, was sentenced in 1998 to 18 years in prison for abusing 11 minors. Bishop Pican later received a suspended prison sentence from a French Court for withholding information.

Having reached retirement age, Pican retired as a bishop last month, with all the benefits due a bishop in good standing with the church.

Fr. Lombardi said that the letter serves as confirmation of how timely the decision made in 2001 to channel all cases of sexual abuse through the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, headed at the time by then Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger. This move guaranteed a “rigorous and coherent management,” Lombardi said.

Yesterday Hoyos justified praising Pican, saying the French bishop did not report Rene Bissey to the police because he was told of the child abuse during confession.

“After consulting the pope, I wrote a letter to the bishop, congratulating him as a model of a father who does not turn in his children,” said Hoyos.

Castrillon Hoyos is a staunchly orthodox cardinal and old school Curia official who was in the forefront of restoring the old Latin Mass to more frequent use and reintegrating the four excommunicated bishops of the ultra-traditionalist Society of Saint Pius X (SSPX) despite opposition from other bishops and the Holocaust-denying views of one of them, Richard Williamson. He also headed the Vatican department for priests from 1996 to 2006.

And yes, Hoyos is also still a Cardinal.

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The Falls Church Chamber of Commerce, by a 10-1 vote with three abstentions, approved a formal resolution this week “Affirming the Link Between Non-Discrimination Public Policy and Economic Development” at its monthly meeting and has voiced “its strong opposition to recent action by the Attorney General of Virginia Kenneth Cuccinelli to advise Virginia’s colleges and universities to remove protections against discrimination of lesbian and gay persons.”

The resolution adds, “We believe that many new and relocating businesses will choose to avoid Virginia because this posture on discrimination will have a profoundly chilling effect on prospective employees, contractors, vendors and customers.”

With this resolution, the Falls Church Chamber of Commerce became the only Chamber in Virginia to take a stand against Cuccinelli’s action on economic development grounds. The Falls Church Chamber was also the only Chamber in Virginia to take a similar stand, also on economic development grounds, against a Virginia constitutional amendment that barred same sex marriage in 2006.

Indeed, the members of the Falls Church CC may be correct in their assessment, but their resolution may be no more then closing the barn door at this point, as sources tell LGR that the very gay friendly defense-contracting giant, Northrop Grumman, has in all probability scratched Northern Virginia from its list as a location for their new corporate headquarters site after Virginia Governor Bob McDonnell rescinded a standing Executive Order that forbids discrimination against public employees on a number of grounds, including sexual orientation.

McDonnell later half-heartedly backtracked on that decision, but according to our source, you can look for a new Northrop Grumman HQ to be located someplace in Maryland, a state that has decided to recognized same-sex marriages preformed in other jurisdictions as legal, in about a year.

How’s that whole Bobs For Jobs thingy working out for ya Virginia?

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4/15/10-by Paula Brooks
A Vatican spokesman has said the Pope is ready to meet with clerical sex abuse victims when he visits Malta this weekend… maybe – if he has time – and they talk nice to him – and he feels like it.

As the pedo-priest scandal threatens to overshadow the pontiff’s weekend trip to Malta, earlier this week, eleven Maltese abuse victims asked to meet the Pope “for a few minutes to help us heal and to overcome this trauma”.

Malta, like Ireland, Germany and America has been hit by a series of sex scandals involving Roman Catholic clergy. Abuse claims have been lodged against 45 priests there and the victims  are asking for a meeting with the Pope and an apology.

Yesterday the Vatican’s official spokesman, Father Federico Lombardi, told reporters that it was up to the Pope to decide whether he had time for such a meeting “in an intense and busy schedule”, but if such a meeting should occur it would “in a climate that is intentionally one of reflection, discreet, and not under pressure of the glare of the media, so he can have a real possibility to listen and communicate personally”.

“Obviously the Pope meets whoever he wants, depending on the circumstances, but don’t hold out great hopes”, added Lombardi.

The popes official plans call for him to commemorate St Paul, who was shipwrecked on Malta on his way to Rome, attend a youth rally and hold a mass for 10,000 people. No meeting with the victims was included in the latest official schedule for the trip released yesterday.

However the Vatican did announce that security around the Pope is to be stepped up while he is on Malta after the abuse victims said they also planned to protest his visit.

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In 2007, just as Janice Langbehn and Lisa Pond were about to depart from Miami on a family cruise with their three children, Pond suddenly collapsed. From the moment Langbehn and the children arrived at Jackson Memorial Hospital, they encountered prejudice and apathy. Even though Langbehn held Pond’s durable health care power of attorney, the hospital refused to accept information from Langbehn regarding Pond’s medical history.

The hospital worker also informed Langbehn that she was in an antigay city and state and that she could expect to receive no information or acknowledgment as family. A doctor finally spoke with Langbehn, telling her that there was no chance of recovery. Despite the doctor’s acknowledgment that no medical reason existed to prevent visitation, neither Langbehn nor her children were allowed to see Pond until nearly eight hours after their arrival.

The hospitals decision got them hauled over the coals by gay rights advocates and in both the LGBT and mainstream press. It also got them sued by Langbehn.

Last September, a Florida judge ruled that no law required the hospital to allow Langbehn and their three children to see the dying Pond, and rejected that suit.

Even so, most people saw the hospitals actions as nothing but mean spirited asshattery, and the hospitals PR (and most likely it fundraising efforts) continued to take a serious dunk into the toilet. So since then, Jackson Memorial has issue a half hearted, second handed “oops we screwed up” to the Langbehn-Pond family through the press and began reviewing its policies concerning LGBT patients.

Yesterday, Lambda Legal, the outfit that sued the Hospital on behalf of Langbehn, and officials from Jackson Health System (JHS) released a statement announcing the hospital’s improved policies that are now a little more responsive to the needs of the LGBT community.

“Lambda Legal applauds Jackson Memorial’s work with the coalition to review and expand policies and training materials to help address the needs of same-sex couples and their families, but we urge the hospital to finish the job,” said Beth Littrell, senior staff attorney in Lambda Legal’s Southern Regional Office in Atlanta, who was lead counsel on Langbehn v. Jackson Memorial.

Lambda Legal as well, urged Jackson Memorial Hospital to enact a full grievance procedure and also to issue an official apology to the Langbehn-Pond family.

“The hospital should issue an official apology to the Langbehn-Pond family and JHS should have a grievance procedure in the case of visitation denial that can be acted on quickly in an emergency situation,” she said.

“Jackson Memorial Hospital should have been able to provide immediate resources to Janice Langbehn when she wasn’t allowed to be with her partner Lisa hour after hour as she lay dying in the hospital. We don’t want the Langbehn-Pond nightmare to happen to another family.”

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Lili Rachel Smith was born with a physical adversity which she overcame, surgery after surgery, day by day, hour by hour!  Yet to those who participated with her in life, it was not laborious, rather an energetic embrace of life’s offerings, in a manner that belied any inkling of difficulty.  Lili was the one who since her birth endured the physical setbacks of the rare Apert syndrome, yet it was those, who through ignorance and perhaps fear, suffered the worst malady by failing to overcome the shallowness of intolerance that robbed them of the opportunity to step ‘beyond differences.’

To some this may seem like ‘par for the course,’ just the way the world is; yet to the late Lili Smith it was unacceptable and so she found her route from exclusion to purpose and accomplishment.

On the morning of October 10, 2009, Lili’s parents, Laura Talmus and Ace Smith received news that their beloved fifteen year old daughter had passed away peacefully in her sleep, while at Scattergood Friends Boarding School in Iowa, a place symbolic of Lili’s academic achievement.

While her loss seemed unbearable, family and friends could not ignore the vibrancy and zest of spirit that remained almost tactile and unyielding, not only in the memory of Lily which would never fade regardless, but as importantly in her mission  – what she represented and still stood to do.  The realization that Lili’s very being, in every realm of her spiritual existence, has a purpose so profound that it is one which in essence has birthed a timely and much needed movement.

Through the deep connection to her parents and the loud resonance in the wake of her physical departure, Lili has opened the world to a life where perhaps we all can learn to be together, beyond  our differences.

Yesterday afternoon, April 10^th, 2010,  Delores Huerta, close family friend and hero,  blew out  her 80^th birthday candles standing next to a screen with a picture of Lili Rachel Smith, and in front of a sold out hall of friends, family and community,  participated in the founding of  this organization, Beyond Differences, dedicated to Lili’s life and work.  (http://www.beyonddifferences.org)

Friends and family spoke lovingly of their Lili in a way that seemed to pass her spirit as if a baton, to us all – one which must be carried to the finish … one that reaches far beyond what any of us thought possible. … to the race for tolerance, beyond any and all differences.

We must all reach out to at least five friends, and draw their attention to the website www.beyonddifferneces.org, not merely to donate money as many are unable, but to actually do what Lili did and to encourage others to do the same. To cross beyond what we think we are capable of to move ourselves and those around us beyond all differences.

What can I do to join the Movement?

Visit the website www.beyonddifferneces.org,  to view the video of the story of Lili, then you will understand the way I did when I saw it.  Find your own way to bring us all into realms that may otherwise seem uncomfortable, which you may find warm and friendly.

Starting gay/straight student alliances in schools, having lunch with people whom you may not usually gravitate toward because of differences, reaching out to those whom you know are different- to learn about them and teach them about you. Walking away from the “cool” Bully group and taking up friendship with the person being bullied.  There is so much you can do…..

Arrange friendship tours of schools different from your own. Find the your  ‘Kewl ‘ because it is truly cool!

This Video shows some snippets from the extraordinary event that launched “Beyond Differences.” Speakers included:

Speakers:

Principal from Scattergood Friends  School,
Aislinn Neuwirth Cushing, Lili’s best friend
Laura Talmus, Lili’s Mom
Lili’s brother Adam Smith,
Kamala Harris, San Francisco DA and Candidate for Attorney General,
Delores Huerta, Immigrant rights Leader, co-founder the United Farm Workers Union (UFW) in 1962 with Cesar Chavez.  In September of 2003  Dolores was appointed to the Board of Regents for the University of California system.
She also serves on the boards of the Feminist Majority and People for the American Way.
Emcee Jeanne Rittzo,  No on Prop 8 Witness.

Beyond Differences  Lili on Face Book

By Melanie Nathan
nathan@privatecourts.com
Private Courts Inc.
Conflict Resolution, Human & Civil Rights Advocacy

Pictures and Video by Melanie Nathan©
Picture Laura Talmus, Lili’s Mother.

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The judges from the RTDNA also recognized WCAX for their “continuing coverage of Vermont captain Richard Phillips who was held hostage by Somali pirates and for investigative journalism for a report concerning harassment at the Vermont Agency of Transportation.” Captain Phillips was recently on WCAX and the Daily Show.

The station was also awarded for their ongoing “Destination Recreation” segment, which features destinations in and around Vermont for tourism and local visits.

Senior Producer Christine Hinkel stated “We are honored to receive these prestigious awards for our in-depth journalism.” WCAX-TV Vice President Alex Martin also went on record saying “We thank the judges for recognizing our efforts to tell compelling stories that are important to our community.”

WCAX will receive its awards on 16 April.

The CBS affiliate station is run by Mt. Mansfield Television, Inc.

During the first week of May, the four finalists will go around parishes in Utah talking with members in a tradition known as a “walkabout.” Then delegates from each parish will meet at St. Mark’s Episcopal Cathedral in Salt Lake City at the end of the month to elect the bishop.

If Barlowe were selected for the Utah post, he would join the Rev. Eugene Robinson, of New Hampshire, and the Rev. Mary D. Glasspool, scheduled to be consecrated as an assistant bishop in the Diocese of Los Angeles on May 15, as the church’s only openly gay bishops.

Choosing another gay bishop would be controversial, and could intensify the riff over the role of gays in the universal Anglican Communion, the Church of England’s umbrella organization which includes the Episcopal Church. Many in African churches, opposed to gay clergy, have split with the Communion, as have a handful of Episcopal churches in this country, forming their own denominations.

Pope Benedict has also established an the Anglican Ordinariate within the Roman Catholic Church in an effort to attract disaffected members of the Anglican Communion to that church.

“All the candidates have been provided with background on the state’s social [and religious] climate, and they know what they are getting into,” said Ric Tanner, president of the Utah church’s Standing Committee to the Salt Lake Tribune. “We hope that not just our delegates and our church community but the entire state of Utah will get to know these individuals and judge them for their ministries, background and knowledge.”

Tanner added,it should be, “an interesting conversation.”

It also would certainly send a message, loud and clear, to Utah’s dominant Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, one of Prop 8’s strongest supporters, how the Utah member of the Episcopal Church stand on the issue should they choose him.

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Billions of dollars have been spent treating the consequences of child abuse and maltreatment. Very little has been spent on prevention and many would rather look the other way. But child abuse and maltreatment is a societal problem and preventing it requires universal support. Child abuse is also often a vicious cycle. Typically, abusers have histories of abuse in childhood.

On April 1st, President Barack Obama said:

Our children are our most valuable resource, and they need our support to thrive and grow into healthy, productive adults. During National Child Abuse Prevention Month, we renew our unwavering commitment to protecting children and responding to child abuse, promoting healthy families, and building a brighter future for all Americans.

Every child deserves a nurturing family and a safe environment, free from fear, abuse, and neglect. Tragically, sexual, emotional, and physical abuse threaten too many children every day in communities across our Nation. Parents, guardians, relatives, and neighbors all share a responsibility to prevent these devastating crimes, and our government plays a critical role as well.

My Administration is committed to helping future generations succeed. We are focused on engaging parents in their children’s early learning and development, ensuring the safety and well-being of all families, and creating opportunities for all Americans. We are also partnering with Federal, State, and local agencies to better coordinate early childhood services and improve the lives of young children and their families.

Together, we can ensure that every child grows up in a safe, stable, and nurturing environment, free from abuse and neglect. I encourage all Americans to visit: www.ChildWelfare.gov/Preventing to learn what they can do to stop child abuse in their communities.

As the publisher of Lez Get Real, I am joining the President and calling upon our government officials, educators and religious leaders to halt this epidemic of child abuse by significantly increasing their investment in prevention and as an acknowledgment to this commitment, I will be displaying blue ribbons on my posts.

The color blue was chosen to represent the bruised, battered bodies and scared souls of the victims and I am requesting that my fellow contributors to this site and those on other LGBT news and opinion sites to join me in displaying this support for those innocent ones who have been harmed.

On Tuesday, I am also inviting everyone to dedicate two minutes of silence at noon to remember those most affected by child abuse.

Thank You.

Paula S Brooks
Publisher and Executive Editor
Lezgetreal.com

Paula’s Quote of The Day:

“There is no more fundamental test of a society than how it treats its children.”~ Ronald Reagan

4/9/10-by Paula Brooks
A “gender-neutral” dormitory on the campus of Southern Oregon University has been hit by anti-gay vandalism.

According to the DailyTidings, residents of Southern Oregon University’s gender-neutral dorm found anti-gay graffiti scrawled across their hallway walls and doors early Thursday.

Ashland police believe the graffiti was intended to intimidate residents of the dorm, which began housing students in a mixed-gender environment this academic year.

“Whoever wrote it knew people there or at least knew the names of some of the residents, because it was directed specifically by first names,” said Sgt. Jim Alderman with the Ashland Police Department. “A lot of the students do have their names on their doors.”

“Because of the nature of the graffiti and where it occurred on campus, in this one dorm area, it becomes an intimidation,” he said. “It makes it a more serious crime than just graffiti or criminal mischief.”

The dorm includes residents who don’t identify with their biological gender, men and women who want to live together or people who are simply more comfortable living in a mixed-gender environment, according to the university.

Southern Oregon University is a public liberal arts college located in Ashland, Oregon,just north of the the California border.

Police have no suspects in the case.

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“Do not ever let someone tell you that you can’t do something – not even yourself!”

Lili Rachel Smith didn’t just write those words. She lived them. Just last fall, determined to make it on her own, Lili left the comfort and security of her home to attend Scattergood Friends School, a 105-year old college preparatory boarding school that she picked out in Iowa. In less than two months she became a beloved member of their community. And she made a lasting and loving impression on everyone she met.

Lili would have turned 16 this April had she not passed away in her sleep on October 10, 2009.

Lili, the beloved daughter of leading Democratic political consultant Averell “Ace” Smith and his wife, veteran Democratic fundraiser Laura Talmus,  refused to accept the bounds of physical disability. Smith ran Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton’s 2008 presidential campaigns in California and other states and the 2006 campaign of State Attorney General Jerry Brown.

Former President Bill Clinton described Lili as beautiful “taken from her family and friends far too soon. As Hillary and I got to know her, we were increasingly amazed at her endless capacity for kindness and generosity.  She never let her own disability keep her from living her life and touching the lives of others. She was a wonderful person who will be greatly missed.”

Born with Apert’s syndrome – a congenital disorder characterized by malformations of the skull, hands and feet – Lili required extensive and often painful surgeries at birth and at regular intervals during her life.  Lili died in her sleep at a boarding school in Iowa, her family said.

Despite the considerable physical challenges, Lili – with the strong encouragement of her parents – became an energetic activist in social and political issues and a seasoned campaign insider, working with her father in Texas during the 2008 presidential campaign. She was a great champion for equality, speaking her beliefs at every opportunity.

In January of this year, Lili was honored posthumously by the Marin Human Rights Commission’s prestigious “Martin Luther King Equality Award..

In her memory, Lili’s Life Celebration will be held on Saturday, April 10th in Marin County, California. This event will publicly launch Beyond Differences, a new non-profit organization created by her parents and friends. Its mission is to build opportunities for children to experience one another for who they are beyond their differences, whether those be special needs, learning, economic, gender orientation, ethnic or racial.

Every day in every middle school around the country there are teenagers quietly suffering from an insidious problem: social isolation. Where once physical punishment was an acceptable part of childhood, awareness of the toll it took led to a change in our collective values. It is no longer tolerated. We seek no less for our children when it comes to their emotional environment.

Beyond Differences is committed to working with parents, teachers and students to create a social movement to ensure that youngsters regardless of how they differ from one another have the opportunity to flourish at school.

Please join the family and friends of Lili for this extraordinary event on Saturday – and if you are unable to make it, please consider sending a donation to Beyond Differences -  there is much work to be done!