They say gays can be 'cured'
DAVID GRAHAM
LIFE WRITER
VANCOUVER—I have been researching this story for three decades.

I was 20 when I had my first brush with what has come to be called "reparative" or "conversion" therapy, treatments for the illness of homosexuality.

I was studying political science at Queen's University and during my second year I spent evenings over many weeks in a tiny office at the Kingston Psychiatric Hospital shackled at the wrists and ankles with tiny electrodes.

My therapist projected homoerotic images on her office wall. And with each stimulating vision came an abrupt, teeth-numbing shock. It was a crude form of aversion therapy and I was an enthusiastic patient. Just out of my teens, the prospect of a life as a homosexual seemed unthinkably depressing.

Fast forward 30 years. I am sitting in a church in Vancouver's east end with 500 other people, being told that if I really try, if I really want it badly enough, I can become a heterosexual.


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Idaho gay dad gets day in court today
Julie Howard
The Idaho Statesman A gay Idaho Falls man who was ordered to stop living with his partner or lose custody of his daughters will get his day before the Idaho Supreme Court today.

Theron McGriff's attorney will have 30 minutes to present his case, while the attorney for his ex-wife, Shawn Weingartner, will have 30 minutes to present opposition.

The case is scheduled to be heard at 11:10 a.m.

It could take six months before a decision in the case — that being the average time between oral arguments and a ruling by the state's highest court.


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Hollywood Lutheran Church defies national leadership, installs gay pastor
Associated Press
LOS ANGELES - The 100-member Hollywood Lutheran Church has installed a sexually active gay man as its pastor, defying the church's national leadership, which ordains gays and lesbians as ministers but only if they are celibate.

Sunday's installation of the Rev. Daniel M. Hooper was met with cheers and applause by parishioners but was not recognized by the national Evangelical Lutheran Church in America.

"This congregation has welcomed me and has welcomed my partner," Hooper said to more than 100 supporters who attended the ceremony. "This congregation has torn down the barriers and asked other Lutheran churches to do the same."

Hooper, 56, said he has been in a committed non-celibate relationship with his partner, Carl Hunter, for nearly 28 years


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State Equality Network encourages opposition to marriage amendment
BY ADAM WALLWORTH Northwest Arkansas Times
There is no justification for any law that would remove a person’s civil rights, said a representative of the Arkansas Equality Network on Sunday

Federal and state amendments proposed to prevent same-sex marriage must be defeated to prevent the creation of a group of secondclass citizens, said Eric Reece. The issue is not about morality, he said, but about equality of rights.

Reece conducted a "Stand Up for Equality" town hall gathering, which was the last of a statewide tour intended to raise awareness over challenges faced by the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community, specifically the Arkansas marriage Amendment.

The amendment, which would prohibit same-sex marriage and civil unions in the state, will go before Arkansas voters in November if the Arkansas marriage Amendment committee can gather 80,570 signatures by July 2.


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Cambridge in the fore on gay marriage
By John McElhenny, Globe Correspondent  
The city of Cambridge plans to inaugurate gay marriage in Massachusetts by accepting marriage applications from same-sex couples at the stroke of midnight on May 17, giving it a jump on gay-friendly communities such as Provincetown and Northampton.

Cambridge officials said plans are underway for music to be played and wedding cake to be served at a City Hall celebration at 11 p.m. on May 16, followed at midnight by the clerk’s office opening its doors to the first samesex couples in Massachusetts to file forms announcing their intention to marry.



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Real estate agent disciplined for steering gay couple
Monday, May 03, 2004
Inman News
If I owned a dress shop and a tiny woman walked in, I'd probably take her straight to the petite aisle. If I ran a restaurant and a gentleman entered with a lit cigarette dangling from his mouth, I would immediately offer him a table in the smoking section.

Unfortunately, such common-sense ideas don't always apply to the real estate business.

When a restaurateur suggests a chain-smoking customer might feel most comfortable in the smoking section, it's considered good customer service.

But when a real estate agent suggests a home buyer might be more comfortable in one particular neighborhood than another, it's illegal steering—a federal crime that can result in huge fines, possible loss of the agent's sales license and even a prison term


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Policeman stuns colleagues with plan for sex change
A Christchurch policeman has stunned his colleagues by saying he wants to become a woman and continue working in the police force.

He is understood to have spoken to the Christchurch police district commander, Superintendent Sandra Manderson, about his intentions last week.

But workmates are sceptical about whether he will be accepted by a male-dominated police force.

"There is no way you could survive," said one officer.

Another said a man in transition would not be welcome in either the male or female locker rooms.