Panel refuses to impeach judge
Anti-homophobia ruling had raised cry of illegal activism
By Arthur Kane
Denver Post Staff Writer
A judge who ruled that a woman must protect her adopted child from "homophobic" religious doctrine will not be impeached, a House committee ruled Tuesday.

The House Judiciary Committee voted down Rep. Greg Brophy's impeachment resolution 8-3 after a majority found that Denver District Judge John Coughlin did not abuse his office in the custody ruling.

"The situation before us today, the judge acted within his statutory authority whether we like the agreement or not," Rep. Joe Stengel, R-Littleton, told a packed committee hearing.

But Brophy, R-Wray, said he will continue to keep an eye on Coughlin and any other judges who engage in what he considers judicial activism.



~

Clerks have tradition of ignoring marriage eligibility rules
The Associated Press
BOSTON -- City and town clerks in Massachusetts, who soon will face the prospect of dealing with same-sex couples asking for a marriage license, have a track record of ignoring marriage-eligibility regulations, according to state records.

Department of Public Health documents provided to The Boston Globe show that the state repeatedly instructed the clerks to facilitate marriages, rather than enforce laws that might prohibit them, such as the residency requirement. Some of the documents, the Globe reported on Wednesday, explicitly instruct clerks not to check on marriage applicants' legal status and residency.

"The oath they take after filling out their intentions affirms that the information they've provided is true to the best of their knowledge," says a 1995 Health Department memo outlining general policies and procedures for granting marriage licenses across the state. "Otherwise, they will have committed perjury. However, it is not the clerk's job to prevent them from committing perjury. Your job is to assist them in getting married."
Elsewhere, the document reads: "A clerk CANNOT AND MUST NOT question the citizenship or legal status of a marriage applicant," "DO NOT ROUTINELY ASK FOR BIRTH RECORDS OR OTHER PROOF OF AGE," and "DO NOT, HOWEVER, ASK FOR PROOF OF DIVORCE."


~

Harvard Queer Issues Magazine Debuts
By CLAIRE PROVOST
Crimson Staff Writer
It’s queer, period. And Harvard’s first literary and cultural journal dedicated to queer issues is also the first intercollegiate publication of its kind.

About 15,000 copies of the first issue of “queer.” featuring poetry, fiction, art and essays by students at Harvard and from colleges across the country—from Yale to Chicago to the University of California, Berkeley—were distributed in dining halls, academic lounges and resource centers, as well as at the other participating colleges last Thursday.


~

'No help' for gays' mums

By Brendan McDaid
A LANDMARK survey has found almost zero support for Ulster mothers who find out their son is gay.

A study carried out by the University of Ulster found that while up to 15 per cent of all local mothers will find out at least one of their children is gay, there was no support or advice structures in place.

Post-graduate student and Derry mother Cathy Falconer conducted the research after being told by her own son that he was homosexual.

Ms Falconer said readily available advice services would help dispel old myths and give mothers confidence to deal positively with what she termed a "painful, confusing and tense" time for the whole family.


~

Ban on gay marriage dies in Senate but gets House vote

By BONNA de la CRUZ
Lawmaker holds out hope amendment can be revived in Senate

Gays and lesbians got mixed signals yesterday over an effort by some lawmakers to put a ban on gay marriage in the state constitution.

Some senators said the state already had a Defense of Marriage Act on the books before a Senate committee killed the proposed amendment. That law defines marriage as a union between a man and a woman, they said.

But the House Finance Committee approved the measure on a voice vote with no discussion, sending the constitutional amendment to the House floor.

State Rep. Bill Dunn, R-Knoxville, said he would proceed with the resolution because there were some procedural ways the measure could be revived in the Senate.


~

London mayoral candidate hits out at "too gay" borough
Ben Townley, Gay.com UK
A candidate for the London mayor role has refused to campaign in the borough of Camden, because it has "too many gays".

Frank Maloney, who will stand for the UK Independence Party in June's Mayor elections, told attendees of his official launch party that he has no intention of trying to engage with lesbian and gay people in the capital.
He added that he has a problem with people not living a "proper moral life" as well as police officers attending Pride events in uniform/.

“I don’t have a problem with a lot of parades in London, but there is a problem with gay parades. I object to seeing policemen in uniform holding hands in public," he said, explaining that "it’s not a family way of life and we should support the family more".



Catholic charity sees first employment law case
Ben Townley, Gay.com UK
A Catholic charity is expected to become the first employer to face a tribunal under the recently introduced Employment Equality (Sexual Orientation) Regulations.

The claim was launched this week by a man who was given a job at the Apostleship of the Sea charity, but says it was later withdrawn when the group learnt he was gay.


~

Evangelists call for new gay dean to step down

Gay Church of England cleric Jeffrey John was under pressure today to step down from his new post as Dean of St Albans.

A group of around 40 evangelical clergy and laity in the St Albans diocese met yesterday to express their “dismay” over his appointment, announced last week by Downing Street.