Gay ISP goes gunning for AOL
By Tim Richardson


A pro gay and lesbian ISP in the US is calling on AOL to come clean about double standards and how it censors minority interest groups. Charles Honeycutt, founder of the national gay and lesbian ISP, rainbowvoice.com, wants AOL to practise greater consistency with the enforcement of its anti-hate policy. His call for fair play comes after an AOL subscriber in Texas had his online member profile (a personal resume that expresses an AOL member's personality or character) rubbed out because he referred to himself as a "submissive bottom". The Texan's personal profile was erased because it contained language held on AOL's "block list", which prevents users from using certain hate speech and sexually explicit language. What has enraged many users is the apparent double standards practised by AOL, for the lesbian and gay community claims to have identified several anti-gay and racist elements in member profiles that were not deleted.


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Gay Feud Forces Russia To Postpone Summit With European Union


(Brussels)  A summit that had been scheduled to take place this week between Russia and the European Union has been put off in the aftermath of a battle over Europe's new cabinet.

The European Union was thrown into a crisis last month when Parliament threatened to reject EU President Jose Manuel Barroso's new cabinet over the appointment of a homophobic commissioner.

Barroso's choice of Rocco Buttiglione as European Justice Commissioner was given a thumbs down by the civil liberties committee after he said that homosexuality is a sin and that he did not support same-sex marriage.


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Company Must Be Made To Pay For Supporting Gays


(Cincinnati, Ohio) Proctor & Gamble must be made to pay for supporting gays in last week's election two conservative Christian groups say.

The giant consumer products company, based in Cincinnati, supported the repeal of a Charter amendment that prevented the city council from enacting any laws that would recognize gays and lesbians.

The amendment, which was approved by voters in 1993, was overturned at the polls last Tuesday.

Proctor & Gamble was one of a number of area companies calling for the repeal of the amendment, saying that the lack of civil rights for gays and lesbians in Cincinnati prevented them from attracting the best workers. Proctor & Gamble was the only one singled out for a national boycott.


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Homophobia at Tufts
By Sarah Sahn and Alex Weissman


Over the past couple of weeks, there has been a series of homophobic incidents on and around the Tufts campus. There have been reports of abrasive comments and the alleged assault of a gay student. To add insult to injury, the Tufts Republicans put on a program that, while it purported to offer an alternative view on same-sex marriage, in fact was nothing more than a presentation of homophobic opinions supported by either manipulated information or none at all.

The Tufts campus is, in general, a safe place for LGBT students, but these incidents undermine that security. The fact that the majority of reported bias incidents both nationwide and on Tufts' campus are homophobic in nature, and that so many significant incidents occurred within a week, should worry more than the targeted students and their fellow LGBT members. This is an issue that is relevant to the entire Tufts community


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Civil Partnership bill faces last minute "wrecking" attempt
Ben Townley,  Gay.com UK


Opponents of the Civil Partnership bill, which will give legal recognition to same-sex couples, are mobilising to "wreck" the legislation as itl faces a House of Commons vote today, gay rights groups are warning.

Conservative backbenchers Gerald Howarth, Christopher Chope and Edward Leigh have unveiled a similar amendment to that first introduced in the House of Lords, which they say will extend the rights on offer to siblings, carers, and other people in non-sexual relationships.

However, such amendments have been widely attacked by the government and the bill's supporters, who claim that this will in fact make the bill unworkable and are less than subtle "wrecking tactics".


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The Democrats vs. the Decepticons
By CHRIS HOLT


I think a microcosm for this entire election is what happened in Franklin County, Ohio. In Franklin County, due to a computer glitch, Bush received 3,893 more votes than he should have.

Rather than saying this undermines democracy and calls into question whether or not Bush actually won the election, I think Franklin County speaks volumes about the coalition Bush has formed.

He has tapped into the previously silenced computer / robot / cyborg / droid community. Johnny-5, Sonny the Robot and, of course, the Terminator himself have been staunch conservatives all along who really brought out the vote this year.

This is no more apparent than in the Deep South. There, conservatives like Megatron rally the evangelical-transforming robot population (called the “Decepticons”) — a major group in Bush’s camp.


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Gay couple granted leave to take tax case


A gay couple who are taking court proceedings to have their marriage recognised in this country have been granted leave by the High Court to pursue their claim through the courts.

Katherine Zappone and Ann Louise Gilligan from Brittas, Co Dublin, are challenging the Revenue's refusal to recognise them as a married couple for tax purposes.  

Mr Justice Liam McKechnie held today that they had reached the threshold for pursuing a judicial review.


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Bloomberg Ordered To Honor Gay Partner Law
by Doug Windsor 365Gay.com New York Bureau 


(New York City) A state Supreme Court judge has ordered New York mayor Michael Bloomberg to put the city's Equal Benefits Law into effect immediately.

The legislation was passed by city council in May. The following month Bloomberg vetoed it saying the law would hurt the city.  Two weeks later council overrode the veto by a 41 - 4 vote.

The law would require contractors that do more than $100,000 of business each year with NYC to offer benefits to the partners of gay and lesbian workers equal to those the companies give heterosexually married couples.

The legislation would make health coverage available to tens of thousands of additional people in the New York City region and because many companies which do business with New York are national corporations it could also provide same-sex benefits to hundreds of thousands of people across the country.


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Sorry Everybody


Some of us — hopefully most of us — are trying to understand and appreciate the effect our recent election will have on you, the citizens of the rest of the world. As our so-called leaders redouble their efforts to screw you over, please remember that some of us — hopefully most of us — are truly, truly sorry. And we'll say we're sorry, even on the behalf of the ones who aren't.



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State vote urged on same-sex marriage
Elvia Díaz
The Arizona Republic


Conservative social activists and key state lawmakers said Monday that they will pursue a state constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriages in Arizona.

The proposition would go on the November 2006 ballot and would be similar in part to those approved last Tuesday by voters in 11 other states.

The purpose would be to ensure that no judge in Arizona ruled in favor of same-sex marriage.

"This is something that has widespread appeal here," said Ron Johnson, executive director of the Arizona Catholic Conference, which he said backs the proposed constitutional amendment.


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Tucson to Light Up Streets Surrounding Fourth Avenue
By J.D. Wallace, KOLD News 13 Reporter

 
A simple narrow downtown avenue during the day can change into an unfamiliar hazard at night.
For decades, lack of lighting has been a main reason.

"You know, evil spirits like to hide in the dark.  So, if you make it lighter, it's a lot better.  It's a lot safer,” said Casbah Tea House owner Carol Ann Krueger.

The Casbah Tea House facesFourth Avenue, but has a back entrance on dark little Hoff Avenue, just like the gay-lesbian bar, IBT's, next door.  Hoff has had at least two violent beatings of gay men in the past two years, with the attack of Mark Fontes in February, and the beating death of Philip Walstead in 2002.  Now, the city plans to light the area, using $54,000 dollars of its Back to Basics block grants.


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In Peru, free contraceptives stir debate
BY TYLER BRIDGES
Knight Ridder Newspapers


LIMA, Peru - (KRT) - Peru's health minister has stirred a hornet's nest with a plan to make the morning-after pill available free at public health clinics in this predominantly Catholic country beginning next year.

Three conservative members of Congress want the legislature to vote to dismiss the minister, Pilar Mazzetti, and perhaps have her jailed on grounds that she is promoting abortion, which is illegal here.


Mazzetti has vowed to press forward with her plan, saying that making the morning-after pill available to poor women will reduce the number of unwanted pregnancies in Peru and thus the number of illegal abortions.


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