Gay Elder Abuse
by Sgt. Judy Nosworthy


If you are under 30 you may not realize it, but yes, there are members of our community over 35.  And, there are lot over 50 and over 70!  Like it or not, we will all be senior citizens some day.  And some, older members of our neighborhood are not being treated particularly well.

Elder abuse is not something we usually talk about in our community. But, guess what—elder abuse is an important issue that the rest of the country is looking at; so, we ought to start opening our eyes.

For our community, elder abuse is even more pervasive, primarily because our elders are even more vulnerable than their hetero counterparts. Having lived in the closet for most of their lives, many of our elders have become accustomed to sub-standard treatment. Through a lifetime of living in the shadows, many of our seniors have learned not to ask questions, not to question authority and never, ever tell



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Victim awaits suspect's arrest
By Sou-Chung "Sau" Hsu


As a visitor from Oklahoma City, Pamela Disel was excited about going to Hula's Bar & Lei Stand. She wanted to compare gay-friendly clubs from her home town to those in Waikiki.

As she walked down Kalakaua Street with two newfound female friends, Disel noticed two men following them. The men began harassing Disel and her friends, at one point asking bluntly, "Are you guys gay?"


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Marriage amendment opponents say supporters broke campaign finance law
Associated Press


COLUMBUS, Ohio - Opponents of a proposed constitutional amendment to ban gay marriage say backers of the amendment violated campaign finance laws by reporting they raised only $50 to date.

Ohioans Protecting the Constitution filed a complaint Monday with the Ohio Elections Commission. In it, they said amendment supporters should have reported money raised since they began collecting signatures, which started in April.

Instead, the group filed a campaign finance report Thursday that said it had raised $50 and received $3,416 in in-kind contributions since the amendment was certified for the Nov. 2 ballot on Sept. 29.

The complaint says the Ohio Campaign to Protect Marriage would have had to spend "far in excess" of that amount to gather 500,000 signatures and defend the petition process in court.


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Virginia Court Told Denying Gay Partner Adoption Endangers Children
by 365Gay.com Newscenter Staff


(Richmond, Virginia) Virginia's refusal to allow birth certificates of children born in the state but adopted by same-sex couples outside of Virginia to show the names of both parents is endangering the children a court was told Monday.

A legal brief filed on behalf of three families, two in Washington, DC, and one in New York, who adopted children born in Virginia, says that "Schools, hospitals or others may refuse services or access to records without a birth certificate that specifically names each legal parent."

After the state refused to issue birth certificates that reflect both legal parents, the families filed a lawsuit in the Circuit Court for the City of Richmond.

The Commonwealth of Virginia argues that the form lists a mother and father and officials would not issue birth certificates listing two parents of the same sex for fear that it would confuse the record-keeping system that must be "uniform and consistent."  


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Golf club bias suit goes to Calif. high court
by Christopher Curtis
PlanetOut Network


A lesbian couple's lawsuit against a country club that would not treat them like other couples reached the California Supreme Court on Monday.

While married spouses play for free at the Bernardo Heights Country Club, Birgit Koebke of San Diego has to pay between $50 and $75 per round of golf, whenever she brings her partner of 11 years, Kendall French. Furthermore, Koebke is limited to bringing French to the club only six times a year.

While a California appeals court already ruled that Koebke and French could sue Bernardo Heights Country Club for treating them differently than other couples, the court did not force the club to change its policies