Gay group fights for right to adopt
BY GAIL EPSTEIN NIEVES


The Coalition for Fair Adoption announced its formation Friday and said members will make a coordinated effort to repeal Florida's ban against adoption by gays -- the only such law in the country.

''In the end, it is the thousands of children languishing in our foster care system who are hurt the most,'' Stratton Pollitzer, the group's South Florida director, said on the steps of the Miami-Dade County Courthouse. ``We are asking that people take an honest, unbiased look at the research on gay and lesbian parenting and on this adoption ban. The evidence is overwhelming: Sexual orientation plays no role whatsoever in a person's ability to be a good parent.''

The new coalition represents 20 organizations, including the American Civil Liberties Union of Florida, SAVE Dade and the Greater Miami National Council of Jewish Women.

Members will lobby legislators to repeal the ban during the 2005 legislative session.


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Topekans debate meaning, effect of city's new gay rights ordinance
By John Hanna - Associated Press Writer


Topeka — Kansas is as reliably Republican as any state, but its capital city has taken a small step toward protecting gays and lesbians from discrimination.
  
The Topeka City Council has approved an ordinance prohibiting bias based on sexual orientation in city hiring or employment.

Many advocates had hoped the council would enact a broader ordinance against discrimination in housing, lending and private employment and were disappointed. Yet a few took a bit of comfort in the small progress they did perceive.


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MP upset private same-sex bill won't go to vote
CTV.ca News Staff


An opposition MP says a decision rendering his private member's bill on the definition of marriage open to debate, but not to a vote, is a strike against democracy.

With the issue before the Supreme Court of Canada, Conservative MP Rob Moore introduced Private Member's Bill C-268 last week, calling for a House of Commons vote on the definition of marriage as a union of one man and one woman.

On Thursday, the Subcommittee on Private Members' Business ruled the bill non-votable.


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Greens petition for same-sex marriage
 From:The Irish Independent


A PETITION demanding that same-sex marriage be legalised in Ireland was handed into Justice Minister Michael McDowell yesterday by the Young Greens as their National Convention got underway.

Handing in the petition, the chairman of the Young Greens, John Keating, said that a "great injustice is currently being done to thousands of Irish citizens and couples who are denied the right to marry a same-sex partner".

He added that although "we are all raised in a society which teaches us to believe that marriage is the greatest expression of love and a life-affirming commitment, not all of us are allowed to experience it."  

Mr Keating continued: "Our laws must reflect the reality that same-sex couples are part and parcel of our society and should be treated as absolute equals. The inequality that exists must be brought to an end by progressive and comprehensive legislation."


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ACLU Shifts Argument in Oregon Gay Marriage Case 


PORTLAND, Ore. (Reuters) - After Oregonians voted to ban same-sex marriages earlier this month, a gay rights advocate will no longer argue for same-sex marriage rights in the state's supreme court, activists said on Friday.

The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) will instead argue for a legal civil unions between same-sex couples giving them the same rights and benefits as married couples.

"This changes our case in only one way. We are no longer seeking marriage," said Ken Choe, a New York attorney with the ACLU who will argue the Oregon case. "But we do believe that the Oregon Constitution requires equality with respect to the protections that come with marriage."

Also at issue is the fate of 3,000 same-sex couple who were married in Portland's Multnomah County after county commissioners started issuing marriage licenses to same-sex couples in March before halting the practice amid a flurry of lawsuits nationwide both for an against same-sex marriages


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Atlanta Gay Rights Law May Be Worthless Mayor Suggests
by 365Gay.com Newscenter Staff


(Atlanta, Georgia)  Atlanta mayor Shirley Franklin says the city ordinance which prohibits discrimination against gays and lesbians may not survive a court challenge.

Franklin made the comments during a meeting with LGBT businesspeople.

The mayor is considering what action to take against an exclusive country club which has refused to recognize the partners of gay and lesbian members.

Atlanta's Human Relations Commission determined that Lee Kyser and Randy L. New were victims of discrimination when Druid Hills Country Club refused to grant their partners family memberships.


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Cincinnati looking to win back conventions in light of repeal of antigay law


Cincinnati tourism officials are targeting groups that had previously taken their convention business elsewhere because of a charter provision banning laws protecting gay people from discrimination. Cincinnatians voted to repeal the 11-year-old amendment this month after city and business leaders warned that it was harming the city's economy.

Last week the Greater Cincinnati Convention and Visitors Bureau sent letters to 200 groups that cited gay rights issues as a reason for not hosting meetings in Cincinnati. And bureau representatives are considering meeting with eight groups that canceled scheduled events in Cincinnati after voters approved the amendment in 1993. Those conventions had been expected to bring $25 million to the area. "We'll follow up with every group that canceled," said Alan Welch, interim bureau president