Silent protest to focus on alleged discriminationNew Berlin West students' plan causes backlash

By DENNIS SHOOK - GM Today Staff March 27, 2004
NEW BERLIN - The silence can sometimes be deafening. That is what Rita Laumann, the parent of a New Berlin West High School student, thought when she received a school notice that a "day of silence" protest would be held at the high school April 21 to support gay, lesbian and transgendered individuals and the alleged abuses they suffer.


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Transgender podiatrist settles gender discrimination complaint
The Associated Press
ALLENTOWN, Pa. - A transgender podiatrist who alleged that she was forced from a top position at St. Luke's Hospital in Allentown has settled her gender discrimination complaint against the hospital.


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Gay marriage supporters go door-knocking
By Associated Press
Saturday, March 27, 2004
BOSTON - Gay marriage supporters on Saturday stepped up efforts to defeat a proposed constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage by directly lobbying the ultimate arbiters - voters.
An estimated 120 gay marriage activists fanned out across Boston and the nearby suburbs of Brookline and Burlington to knock on doors and talk to potential voters, who ultimately must approve or reject any proposed constitutional amendment.

Students hold silent vigil for gay rightsDemonstration protested the proposed Constitutional ammendment that would ban gay marriage
by Elliott Wolf, Online Staff Writer, Technical Staff 3/27/2004 Numerous Blair student groups sponsored a silent vigil to protest the proposed constitutional amendment that would ban gay marriage. Organizers estimated that approximately 250 students and staff participated, standing silently in a line outside of the SAC on March 26. “[Students demonstrated] to oppose any amendment that would infringe on the rights of Americans," said freshman Adam Yalowitz, one of the organizers of the event and member of Students for Global Responsibility. “We stand in solidarity with the gay and lesbian community in their struggle for equal protection under the law," he added. According to Yalowitz, the majority of the demonstrators were not gay or lesbian. . “You don't have to be gay to support gay rights, just like you don't have to be black to support civil rights, or female to support womens rights," he said.

Same-sex marriages in Albany
Updated: 3/27/2004 12:55 PM
By: Capital News 9 web staff


More same-sex marriages were performed on Saturday.
This time they were in the Capital Region. Two couples were married Saturday morning at the Unitarian Universalist Church on Washington Avenue in Albany.

will try to keep up... but my computor crashed.. at work now.. but will try to keep ya all post with up date of fasism in amerika..

kari

Status of Legislation
The Associated Press -
The status of major legislation after 37 days of the 2004 Georgia General Assembly.
GAY MARRIAGE
Republican senators are leading a push to ban same-sex marriage in the state constitution. Gay marriages are already illegal in Georgia, but the matter isn't addressed in the constitution. If approved by lawmakers, the issue would go to Georgia voters this fall. Passed Senate 40-14. Narrowly defeated in the House 117-50 (120 votes required to pass a constitutional amendment). SR595 is pending reconsideration in the full House. The House would have to vote by simple majority to bring the matter up again, then approve it with 120 votes. HR1470 is a similar amendment, pending in the House Rules Committee.


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Gay couples get rejection
State denies marriage license applications; many vow to fight
By ROGER DuPUIS II
ITHACA -- Same-sex couples seeking marriage licenses from the City of Ithaca found rejection letters in their mailboxes this week


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Church backs gay marriage
Staff reports
(March 27, 2004) — The public is invited to attend a dedication ceremony Sunday that declares the First Universalist Church of Rochester, 150 S. Clinton Ave., an “equal marriage zone.” The ceremony is at noon and the church intends to hang a large banner outside declaring its support for same-sex marriage.

Group brings anti-gay message to city
Ruling in custody case prompts trip from Kansas; counterprotesters join fray
By Kieran Nicholson
Denver Post Staff Writer
A group protested homosexuality Thursday in front of the Denver City and County Building, where it encountered a counterprotest by a group of gay people and their supporters. The two groups hurled barbs and laughed at each other while pedestrians and traffic flowed by on Bannock Street. The group protesting homosexuality, made up of 21 followers of the Rev. Fred Phelps, drove to Denver on Thursday in three vans from Topeka, Kan., to protest a court order last April by Denver District Judge John Coughlin.
Coughlin ordered a woman, a former lesbian who converted to Christianity, to shield her adopted daughter from homophobic religious teachings. The order is part of a contentious joint-custody agreement between the former lesbian and the woman who once was her partner.


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iling to protect him from alleged harassment by fellow students for his perceived sexual orientation


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Dunne attacks gay marriage
Mar 27, 2004
The bid to give same-sex couples has been attacked by United Future leader Peter Dunne as undermining "mainstream" New Zealand values.


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"Unholy Axis" Blocks Gay Rights - MEP
By Matthew Cooper, PA News
A gay MEP today blamed an “unholy axis” between Muslim countries and the Vatican for scuppering a UN resolution on homosexual rights for the second year running. West Midlands Labour Euro-MP Michael Cashman said he was bitterly disappointed that Brazil had withdrawn its motion to expand the UN’s definition of discrimination to include sexual orientation at the UN Commission on Human Rights meeting in Geneva. The former Eastenders actor, who was representing the Party of European Socialists in Geneva, said the motion was suspended following “aggressive lobbying” by the Vatican and the Conference of Islamic States, in particular Egypt and Pakistan.

Women to seek legal recognition of their marriage


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Attorney says gay marriage must be allowed
By Evan Goodenow, Record-Journal staff
HAMDEN — Not allowing same-sex couples to marry is discriminatory and immoral, the attorney who won a landmark case allowing gay marriage in Massachusetts argued Friday.
"The decision is really a beacon of hope and a beacon of fairness," attorney Mary Bonauto told about 100 people who attended a gay marriage symposium at the Quinnipiac University School of Law.
"The history of our country shown that separate is seldom, if ever, equal,"


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Maryland Moves Toward Recognizing Gay Couples
by 365Gay.com Newscenter Staff
Posted: March 27, 2004 12:01 a.m. ET
(Annapolis, Maryland) It isn't marriage.  It isn't quite civil unions.  But, for gay and lesbian couples in Maryland it's a major step in the right direction. A key House committee voted Friday to approve creating a state registry for domestic partners to grant same-sex couples  grant them the right to make medical decisions for each other.

ONE 1ST INFANTRY DIVISION SOLDIER KILLED, TWO WOUNDED 3/25/2004

The town that outlawed marriage
(Filed: 27/03/2004)
Corvallis, a quiet college town in rural Oregon, is the perfect spot for a wedding. From its Victorian courthouse to its cake shops and quaint tree-lined streets, it is an idyllic setting for an American country marriage. Or rather, it was. This week, Corvallis and the surrounding Benton County made legal history when its authorities stopped issuing marriage licences to any couples - heterosexual or homosexual.

A former FBI translator told the 9/11 commission that the bureau had detailed information well before Sept. 11, 2001, that terrorists were likely to attack the U.S. with airplanes.

Dear Friend,

The months ahead will be a pivotal time for our nation as we speak out for democracy and against intolerance and discrimination. On April 25, over 1,000 women's rights, civil rights, and health care organizations are leading an historic "March for Women's Lives" in Washington, DC.

Women -- not the government -- should have the right to make the most deeply personal decisions about their health and their lives. Government's role should be to ensure -- not deny -- women's access to the full range of reproductive health services. Yet all these rights are under unrelenting attack.

Visit http://www.marchforwomen.org
to get more information, sign up for the March, register your delegation, send a donation, alert your friends, or connect with your local March coalition to help fill buses, trains and planes with determined activists and united voices.

Help us Make History! Join the hundreds of thousands who will march to protect our right to birth control, emergency contraception, abortion, and all reproductive health services as well as our right to have children and plan our own families according to our own personal, religious and moral beliefs not those of a tyrannical minority. We will never go back to the days before Roe v. Wade when women died from illegal abortions or were forcibly sterilized. The March is not just for girls and women who have the option of choice, but also for those who live with the fears and devastation of poverty, war, intolerance and sexual violence that threatens their very being and for the men who care about us.

Will you join us at the march? To participate, or show your support, go to:

Thank you for speaking out and taking action!

MoveOn.org

The March is being organized jointly by seven organizations: American Civil Liberties Union, Black Women's Health Imperative, Feminist Majority Foundation, NARAL Pro-Choice America, National Latina Institute for Reproductive Health, National Organization for Women and Planned Parenthood Federation of America. More than 1000 organizations have signed on as co-sponsors.

Is It Better to be Gay in the Philippines?
Youth Commentary, Nelson Everett Toriano,
Pacific News Service, Mar 26, 2004
Editor's Note: Americans often think the United States is the world's most accepting places for gay, lesbian and transgender people. But a young gay American man finds out differently in the mostly Catholic, socially conservative Philippines.

Republicans walk, same sex bill dies
05:44 PM EST on Friday, March 26, 2004
By TONY HYATT / WHAS11 News
FRANKFORT, Ky.--In a dramatic fashion, House Republicans walked off the floor of their chamber Friday during an emotional debate over same-sex marriages.
As a result, a bill that would call for a constitutional amendment on defining marriage in Kentucky as a union between a man and a woman died because it could not muster 60 votes. "It is a sham and just trickery by the leadership of the majority party, and I will have nothing to do with it," said Minority Floor Leader Jeff Hoover. He then encouraged the walk out. The discussion was over Senate Bill 245, which not only would ban same-sex marriage, but would also place restraints on the judicial branch of government from overruling the law.


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John Kerry Tells MTV News: Sexual Orientation Matter Of Genetics, Not Choice
John Kerry (file)
Photo: MTV News
"I think that people have a right in America to be who they are, who they are born as, and we are all God's children, and that is my view." — John Kerry Senator and presidential contender John Kerry weighed in on the ongoing gay-marriage debate, saying that he believes that sexual orientation is a matter of genetics, not choice, and that both gay and straight people should be accorded equal rights under the law


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Specter Waits for States on Gay Marriage
LARA JAKES JORDAN
Associated Press
WASHINGTON - The Republican in line to chair the Senate Judiciary Committee is not ready to endorse President Bush's suggestion for a constitutional amendment to ban gay marriage, saying Friday he will wait to see whether states act. Sen. Arlen Specter of Pennsylvania, a moderate facing a conservative challenger in the April 27 GOP primary, said he believes marriage should be for heterosexual couples. Still, he refused to endorse a measure before the Judiciary Committee that would clear the way to try to amend the Constitution to outlaw homosexual marriages.

YES!!!!

Senate committee rejects gay marriage ban
Publishing date: 03-26-2004 4:19 PM
(St. Paul-AP) -- A proposal that would amend the state constitution to ban gay marriage failed in a Senate committee today. The Judiciary Committee voted 5-to-4 on party lines against putting an amendment to ban gay marriage before the voters in number.The vote followed party lines, with DFLers voting against it and the Republicans supporting the amendment. The Minnesota House overwhelmingly approved a similar measure Wednesday. Thousands of people have gathered on the Capitol steps this week in separate rallies both for and against the proposal.


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Romney denies gay marriage training scheduled
By Associated Press
Friday, March 26, 2004
BOSTON - Gov. Mitt Romney distanced himself Friday from published reports that the administration had scheduled specific training for city clerks in anticipation of gay marriages in mid-May.


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Gay couples seek marriage licenses in Cleveland
CLEVELAND (AP) — Fifty-three gay couples handed over $40 each for marriage license applications Friday. They walked away without the licenses, but did it to point out that they should receive the same benefits as heterosexual couples.

Lesbian couple to wed, and want to make it legal
JIM SALTER
Associated Press
ST. LOUIS - As Missouri lawmakers debate a constitutional amendment that would ban same-sex marriages, a lesbian couple will wed this weekend and ask St. Louis County to recognize the marriage. Lesley Proud and Sally Nelson have lived together for 15 years. They have raised two sons, been active in the PTA and operate a successful catering business.
On Saturday, they plan to wed at the Eliot Unitarian Chapel in Kirkwood. The Rev. Daniel O'Connell said he has performed marriages between gay and lesbian couples before, but those ceremonies carried no legal weight.

Judge turns down lawmakers seeking to join gay marriage lawsuit
By SARAH LINN  / Associated Press
A Multnomah Circuit Court judge has turned down a request by 14 state lawmakers who wanted to join a lawsuit over the legality of gay marriages in Oregon. Judge Frank Bearden on Friday rejected the Republican legislators' "motion to intervene" in the suit filed Wednesday by the American Civil Liberties Union, because he said it would slow down proceedings.


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May they will have a gay book Burning next...

Committee restricts access to gay-themed book
In a vote of 8-3 , the Freeman Elementary School Media Advisory Committee decided that access to a book about a gay marriage should be regulated. The book will be placed under lock and key and accessible only to adults, including teachers and parents. The parents who filed the complaint are satisfied with the decision. They said they never wanted the book banned, they simply didn't feel it was appropriate for all young children.


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Gay marriage opponents unsure of next move
TOPEKA, Kan. -- Gay marriage opponents were not sure of their next move after the Senate narrowed a proposed amendment to the Kansas Constitution that they championed -- and later killed it.


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Religion notes: State Episcopalians support gay marriage
The Convention of the Episcopal Diocese of Massachusetts has approved a resolution affirming the state Supreme Judicial Court's November 2003 ruling on civil marriage for same-sex couples. The vote was taken during the convention's day-long meeting held on March 13 at Boston University.


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Chairwoman pilloried, praised on same-sex marriage
While Diane Linn listens to views in a public hearing, 15 state lawmakers ask to intervene in a test case
FRED LEESON
Multnomah County Chairwoman Diane Linn is a tyrant who threatens democratic society. Multnomah County Chairwoman Diane Linn is a political hero worthy of President Kennedy's book "Profiles in Courage."
The county official who opened the door to same-sex marriages faced critics and admirers alike in a public hearing Thursday for the first time since her controversial March 3 decision. An overflow crowd and increased security packed the Multnomah Building hearing room where 51 speakers poured out their views for and against gay marriage for two hours. More hearings will be held next week. In the end, commissioners are expected to vote on a resolution that would reaffirm Linn's decision to issue marriage licenses "to all qualified persons regardless of their gender or social orientation."


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"Sanctity of Marriage" rally awash in ugly rhetoric
Jim Baron 03/22/2004
Well, things got more than just a little bit ugly at the "Sanctity of Marriage" rally at the Statehouse last week.
As hate-spewing tirades go, KKK gatherings in Alabama in 1962 had nothing on some of Tuesday’s speeches, which were aimed not at glorifying marriage but at vilifying homosexuals.

boycott Dean foods...

Dallas-based Dean Foods won’t recognize gay worker’s wedding certificate from S.F.
Employee’s request for spousal insurance denied; Firm has no comment
By David Webb
Staff Writer
Dallas-based Dean Foods is one of the first major U.S. companies that refuses to recognize of out-of-state marriage certificates for same-sex couples when an employee applies for spousal health insurance benefits. Chicago resident David Greer, 35, who is employed by the dairy food company’s information technology department, was refused spousal benefits when he produced a copy of the San Francisco marriage certificate issued to him and his partner Lee Neubecker, 31. A company official informed him of the decision verbally but declined put the denial in writing, he said. The couple was married on Feb. 19. Greer presented the certificate with his request for benefits to his employer upon their return to Chicago from San Francisco. Human Rights Campaign education director Kim I. Mills said that Dean Foods is the first company that she has heard of to deny spousal benefits to same-sex couples married in San Francisco and other states. But she is expecting more.


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New partership law presents challenges for officials
By KATHY HENNESSY
Associated Press
TRENTON, N.J. -- With three months to go before New Jersey's domestic partnership law takes effect, the state is still working out the details of how same-sex couples will register.
The town clerks who will handle the process say they know little about it.
After July 1, same-sex partners will be able to legally have many of the same rights as married couples, but details such as how much a registration will cost, what the certificate will look like and how many people may sign up for it are still unknown.


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National Gay and Lesbian Task Force Convenes Power Summit on Eve of Massachusetts Constitutional Convention Vote on Gay Marriage
 WASHINGTON - March 26 - -- Grassroots Leaders from Across the Nation Gather in Boston

-- Media Opportunities at Gay Advocates Power Summit

WHAT: Task Force New England Power Summit

WHO: National Gay and Lesbian Task Force & 100 plus Activists

-- Matt Foreman, Task Force executive director -- Barney Frank, Massachusetts Representative

WHEN: March 26 - 28, 2004

WHERE: Sheraton Boston Hotel (Prudential Center) & Various Boston Neighborhoods.


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Mayor to introduce marriage legislation
By Chris Glazner
Assistant City Editor
March 26, 2004
Carrboro Mayor Mike Nelson plans to introduce a proposal in April to the Board of Aldermen that would ask state legislators to draw up a bill that would nullify portions of the federal Defense of Marriage Act. The proposal will come as the Chapel Hill Town Council takes action on similar petitions brought forward this week by council member Mark Kleinschmidt.


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WWGRD: What will gay Republicans do?
Will the Bush-endorsed anti-same-sex marriage amendment drive gays from the GOP?


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support the UN in passing this accord...

Canada captains UN push for gay rights resolution
 Steven Edwards
CanWest News Service
Friday, March 26, 2004
Canada is leading a push for a United Nations ruling on homosexual rights that Christian activist groups say would deny religions the freedom to reject the gay lifestyle. Islamic countries also oppose the proposed resolution, saying it would force them to legalize a lifestyle that is an "offence to Muslims." Under the heading "Human Rights and Sexual Orientation," the draft says governments should promote and protect human rights of people "regardless of their sexual orientation."


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Gay marriage debate sparks change in employee benefits


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Judicial-legislative fight under way 
Proposal would keep courts from influencing laws
By BRUCE SCHREINER
Associated Press
FRANKFORT, Ky. — Some Kentucky judges objected yesterday to a proposed constitutional amendment that would limit the power of courts in giving orders to the General Assembly.


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Gay Marriage Protest Planned
March 26, 2004
Ohio has banned gay marriage but that won't stop same-sex couples from applying for marriage licenses in Cleveland. A projected 100 gay couples are planning to apply for the licenses Friday at Cuyahoga County Probate Court. The Lesbian Gay Community Center of Greater Cleveland is organizing the event which also will include a rally


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no, wrong.. we must push forward and see the specter of hate for what it is.. have the beast show itself.. do not corer in the corner...

Gay Dems tell mayor to shelve gay bills
Williams supports gay marriage but will defer to gay Stein Democratic Club
By LOU CHIBBARO JR.
Friday, March 26, 2004
Expressing concern that Congress might impose a sweeping, anti-gay law on the District, the Gertrude Stein Democratic Club has urged D.C. Mayor Anthony Williams against taking steps to recognize same-sex marriages issued in Massachusetts. In a March 17 meeting, the gay Democratic group’s officers told Williams they would prefer that he hold off on advancing legislation or executive orders pertaining to gay marriage, civil unions or other “high profile” gay issues, at least until after the November congressional and presidential election, if not longer.


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Taking the fight back to Baylor
When Baylor’s president censured the school paper for backing gay marriage, he opened a door that won’t be closing.
TWO WEEKS AGO, the Baylor University campus was filled with can-you-believe-its and why-would-they-do-its, as the media triangulated once again around the school. They’d been here before, to cover infamous conduct by the basketball players, coaches and even university presidents at a school that professes Christian principles.

'Empathy' defense in Araujo case
By Ivan Delventhal, STAFF WRITER
HAYWARD -- An attorney for one of three men charged with killing a transgender teenager indicated Wednesday that he is seeking to rely on the testimony of a psychiatrist to help explain why his client helped bury the slain Newark teen. Meanwhile, jury selection continued for a seventh day Wednesday as the prosecutor and defense attorneys began to exercise peremptory challenges to excuse prospective jurors.


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Y defends same-sex policy
By BEN EVANS : The Herald-Sun
bevans@heraldsun.com
Mar 25, 2004 : 10:03 pm ET
DURHAM -- Local YMCA leaders told a Durham City Council committee Thursday that they plan to stand firm behind a policy in which same-sex couples aren't eligible for family memberships. Responding to some City Council members' complaints that the policy is discriminatory, Y leaders, including YMCA of the Triangle CEO Doug McMillan, said they rely on the state's criteria of a family as including a married couple.


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Sunday sermons to decry lesbian pastor's acquittal
By RICHARD VARA
Copyright 2004 Houston Chronicle Religion Editor
The pastors of about a dozen major United Methodist churches in the Houston area will denounce last week's church acquittal of a lesbian minister from their pulpits Sunday and are urging other Texas pastors to join them.


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Licensing for gay marriages planned
But Romney aide says word is `premature'
By Kathleen Burge, Globe Staff, 3/26/2004
In the state's first official acknowledgment that gay and lesbian couples can legally marry in May, town and city clerks were notified this week that they will be trained to issue marriage licenses for same-sex couples.


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no.. but us queer folks have to listen to all that hetro talk...

Parents fear gay youth group could 'plant ideas'
PARENTS have slammed a new youth service project that could see children as young as 13 discussing gay, lesbian and transexuality issues.


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Gay rights activist is resigning
By Rhina Guidos and Jacob Santini
the Salt Lake Tribune
    Citing a "vicious" legislative session biased against gays, the head of Salt Lake City's sole gay and lesbian community center announced her resignation Thursday.
    Paula Wolfe, executive director of the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender Community Center of Utah (GLBTCCU) since 1999, said this year's legislative session was "one of the more vicious ones that I've seen."


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shows the hate and ignorance out there....

Ordinance banning discrimination against gays draws huge response
The Associated Press
3/26/2004, 12:08 a.m. PT
BEND, Ore. (AP) — Bend city councilors have been flooded with hundreds of e-mails urging them to approve or kill an ordinance to outlaw discrimination against gays. The proposed ordinance would make it illegal to discriminate against anyone based on sexual orientation or sexual identity. It's aimed at preventing prejudice against gays, lesbians and transgendered people in housing, employment or in public places such as restaurants.

The seven city councilors will hear testimony on Wednesday.

"This is the biggest thing we've had," said Councilor Chris Telfer. "Usually we're lucky to get a handful of responses. This is huge." Councilor John Hummel, who sponsored the ordinance, said some opponents go too far in their vilification of homosexuality. "There is nothing wrong with disagreeing with government," Hummel said. "But I don't see how the debate is helped by the nasty, derogatory nature of some of the responses."


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Unable to marry, gay couples contrive . . . Legalities that bind
Scott Craven
The Arizona Republic
Mar. 24, 2004 12:00 AM
COURTNEY DEMILIO'S MARRIAGE IS BUILT ON LOVE, trust and sharing. More importantly, it's built on a thick folder of legal documents. Demilio, 30, and Cynthia Davis, 39, of Scottsdale are among the gay couples who have sought to create the legal union denied to them by marriage law. With an attorney's help, they've filed wills, powers of attorney and co-parenting agreements to protect themselves in case of death, disability or separation.


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good news... finally!!

ASU to protect gender identity
By Marija Potkonjak, Tribune

Arizona State University has revised its nondiscrimination policy to include "gender identity," making it the fourth public university to extend such protections to transgender students and employees.


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more good news ..!!

Housing policy written for transgender students
Sarah Hofius - Staff Writer
Starting this fall, the Office of Residential Life will formalize the college’s transgender housing policy. Under the official policy, students who identify themselves as transgender can contact Residential Life to pursue alternative housing arrangements. The staff at Residential Life will set up a meeting with Lisa Maurer, coordinator of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Education, Outreach and Services. Maurer will evaluate the students and help them find suitable housing options.


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I want to move to spain... it sounds so much more humane on the plains in spain, even when it rains....

- A transsexual Spanish sailor said on Thursday he will be allowed to stay in the Navy as a woman after a medical report said this did not interfere with his duties.


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Library opens transgendered collection
By Ashley Dinges, Daily Staff Reporter
At age 13, Dallas Denny went to the library in her Southern hometown and looked up the words “transvestite” and “transsexual” in the library card catalogue. She found two results.
Yesterday, Dallas was present at the Harlan Hatcher Graduate Library, where her personal collection of more than 1,500 titles related to transgender issues —the National Transgender Library and Archive — was officially unveiled as part of the University’s Labadie Collection. Denny, founder of the American Educational Gender Information Service, spoke at the ceremony. She is also the editor in chief of Transgender Tapestry, one of few publications to deal specifically with transgender issues.


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Church sets voter drive to fight gay marriage
By Yvonne Abraham, Globe Staff, 3/26/2004
The Massachusetts Catholic Conference is beginning its first statewide voter registration drive, in hope of ousting lawmakers who favor gay marriage or otherwise fail to follow the church's moral teaching in the State House.


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Kansas 4th State In Week To Drop Anti-Gay Amendments
by 365Gay.com Newscenter Staff
(Topeka, Kansas)  Legislation approving an amendment to the state constitution to ban same-sex marriage died in the Kansas Senate Thursday night.

Judicial Activism Bill Introduced
by Steve Jordahl
SUMMARY: Congress considers legislation to alter constitutional balance of power.

Congress is considering a bill that would give the legislative branch the power to overturn federal court decisions it considers unconstitutional. The Congressional Accountability for Judicial Activism Act of 2004 would require a two-thirds majority in each chamber in order to reverse the U.S. Supreme Court. Rep. Ron Lewis, R-Ky., said his bill could prevent some of the social upheaval caused by past decisions. "We have seen a very activist court that really has had a tremendous impact on our values, on our culture," he said. "There needs to be a check."


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Kentucky same-sex amendment revived
FRANKFORT, Ky., March 25 (UPI) -- Democrats in the Kentucky House have revived a proposed state constitutional amendment to ban gay marriage they blocked earlier this week.
The bill, which calls for a statewide referendum to decide whether same-sex marriage and civil unions should be constitutionally prohibited in Kentucky, was given a second life by the same House committee that blocked it 24 hours earlier. Supporters of the bill prayed and sang "God Bless America" outside the hearing room as the House Elections Committee met Wednesday night, the Lexington Herald-Leader said.

this is a very sad day indeed...


Arizona Senate Signals Support for Gay Marriage Proposal
PHOENIX (AP) -- The Arizona Senate signaled its support for a proposal Thursday to urge Congress to pass a constitutional amendment banning gay marriage. Even though state law already outlaws same-sex marriages, supporters said the nonbinding measure would further protect the sanctity of families by helping prevent judges from overturning the prohibition. Opponents said the measure treats gays differently from heterosexuals and that its backers are pandering to the religious right in an election year.

   The Senate gave preliminary approval Thursday to the proposal in a 15-10 vote. The measure, which cleared the state House earlier this month, still faces a formal vote in the Senate.

   If approved by the Legislature, it wouldn't go to Democratic Gov. Janet Napolitano for her signature.

   The debate turned rancorous after a supporter of the resolution said homosexuality is an unhealthy lifestyle and cited statistics about the rate of sexually transmitted diseases among gay men.

   Republican Sen. Mark Anderson of Mesa, a supporter of the proposal, also said he worries gay marriage would eventually lead to the teaching of homosexuality in schools.

   "Since that will be on an equal level legally and morally as regular marriage, there will be no basis to not teach it," Anderson said. "In fact, it will certainly be required."
  Democratic Sen. Ken Cheuvront of Phoenix, who is openly gay, said he is hurt by the proposal's treatment of gays as second-class citizens.



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AG: SF officials violated separation of powers in gay marriages
LISA LEFF
Associated Press
SAN FRANCISCO - Attorney General Bill Lockyer told the California Supreme Court Thursday that in issuing marriage licenses to same-sex couples, San Francisco authorities violated the separation of powers doctrine by assuming for themselves "more power than the Gov., or the Supreme Court, or the Legislature."

In a 29-page brief submitted at the court's request, Lockyer rejected the city's argument that local officials were obligated to grant the licenses because the California Constitution forbids discrimination. State law "controls every aspect of marriage, leaving nothing to the discretion of local government" he argued, while under the American system of government, only the judiciary can determine a law's constitutionality. "The foundation of our constitutional structure consists of a separation of powers and a system of checks and balances," Lockyer's staff wrote. "Respondents purport to be defenders of the Constitution, yet they ignore these most fundamental concepts."


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Congressman Calls For Removal of Book Promoting Same-Sex Marriage From Elementary Schools
By Melanie Hunter
CNSNews.com Deputy Managing Editor
March 25, 2004
(CNSNews.com) - A North Carolina congressman is calling on the state's schools superintendent to remove a book from elementary schools that promotes homosexual "marriage." The book, "King and King," an illustrated children's book by Linda de Haan and Stern Nijland which has been available in some North Carolina elementary schools, presents two men marrying each other as a valid lifestyle choice. "Since local boards of education may not adopt library book procurement rules that are inconsistent with policies of the State Board of Education," Rep. Walter B. Jones (R-N.C.) wrote in a letter to North Carolina Superintendent of Public Instruction Mike Ward, "the fact that this book - aimed at validating a view of marriage that is inconsistent with North Carolina law - is in an elementary school library is indicative of a larger problem.


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New Paltz Mayor Committed to Continuing Weddings
By Christopher Curtis
Several high-profile speakers shared their reasons why they are fighting for GLBT rights at last Saturday’s Human Rights Campaign Dinner in Houston, but only one guest is facing criminal charges for what he has done.

Jason West seems like an unlikely fighter for the GLBT cause. He is straight, 26-years-old, paints houses and works as a puppeteer when not serving as the Green Party mayor of New Paltz, New York. Before the event started the boyish-looking official seemed more like a poster child for an L.L. Bean catalogue with his khakis and plaid shirt. But West has put his political career on the line, facing a lawsuit from Christian conservatives and 19 misdemeanors for marrying 25 same-sex couples in February—which doesn’t seem to bother him a bit. “The misdemeanor is the exact equivalent to driving over 20 miles over the speed limit,” he shrugged. “So it’s a minor charge.”

Oregon Supreme Court Declines to Intervene in Gay Marriage

The Oregon State Supreme Court on Wednesday declined to intervene in the state's debate over same-sex marriage. The move comes in response to a lawsuit asking the court to stop same-sex marriages in Multnomah County. The suit was filed by Bruce Broussard, a Republican candidate for the U.S. Senate. The court stated that Broussard did not have any legal standing to bring the suit.


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Bush's Meandering Moral Compass


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Same-Sex Benefits Debate Hits Durham YMCA
City Threatening To Pull Funding
DURHAM, N.C. -- A Durham YMCA branch has landed in the middle of a nationwide debate over the rights of same-sex couples. The city of Durham is threatening to pull $70,000 in funding from the YMCA unless it allows same-sex couples with children to receive the family rate. "Our membership definition for family is the same definition followed by the state as we understand it," David McMillan, the CEO of the Triangle YMCA, said in a City Council work session Thursday.

The state of North Carolina has a Defense of Marriage Act that defines a marriage as a union between a man and a woman. But, the city of Durham allows same-sex couples city benefits if they can prove they live together. "I can't for the life of me condone discrimination based on sexual orientation," City Councilman Howard Clements said. "(This concerns) the whole definition of family and it's not 'Ozzie & Harriet' ... anymore." Durham citizens had mixed responses to the City Council's threat. Some wondered why the YMCA should be forced to give gay couples with kids family discounts.


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Las Vegas Mall Rejects Gay Club
"Neonopolis," an outdoor mall developed in Las Vegas in 2002, reportedly has rejected the lease of a businessman who planned to develop a gay and lesbian club in the property. Don Troxel, a businessman who owns a gay and lesbian club in Dayton, OH, planned to open a Las Vegas location of his club, Celebrity Show and Dance Club. His Dayton location features dancing and female impersonators.

Senate kills attempt to narrow gay marriage amendment
JOHN HANNA
Associated Press
TOPEKA, Kan. -
An attempt to narrow a proposed constitutional ban on gay marriage proved short-lived Thursday as the Senate killed a version that could have cleared the way for recognition of same-sex civil unions in Kansas. The rejected version was offered by Senate Majority Leader Lana Oleen, R-Manhattan, following more than four hours of debate on a proposed amendment to the Kansas Constitution. The original amendment has already cleared the House and, if approved by two-thirds of the Senate, would go before voters Nov. 2.


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Women's International League Supports Civil Unions for All, Opposes Constitutional Ban on Gay Marriage
WASHINGTON - March 25 - The Women's International League for Peace and Freedom, United States Section, rejects a US constitutional amendment defining marriage as a union between a man and a woman. Such an amendment would set a profoundly anti-democratic precedent in that it would explicitly remove legal rights from a group of its citizens. The administration has crossed the line between church and state and presumes that our secular nation is a religious nation. We believe in the separation of church and state.


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Kentucky same-sex amendment revived
FRANKFORT, Ky., March 25 (UPI) -- Democrats in the Kentucky House have revived a proposed state constitutional amendment to ban gay marriage they blocked earlier this week.The bill, which calls for a statewide referendum to decide whether same-sex marriage and civil unions should be constitutionally prohibited in Kentucky, was given a second life by the same House committee that blocked it 24 hours earlier.


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Thousands rally in opposition to gay marriage ban proposal
By ASHLEY H. GRANT Associated Press Writer
The Associated Press - 03/25/2004
ST. PAUL
Three days after more than 3,000 people rallied at the Capitol in favor of a ban on gay marriage, a similar-sized crowd gathered Thursday to oppose the measure.


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Same-Sex Marriage Debate Comes To Fredericksburg
Gay And Lesbian Couples March To City Hall
FREDERICKSBURG. Va. -- Fredericksburg has become the latest, if not also an unlikely, city caught in the struggle over gay marriages. On Thursday, several gay couples went to City Hall to apply for marriage licenses. Meanwhile, about 100 demonstrators marched through downtown Fredericksburg at noon in support of equal rights for gays. “I, myself, am not homosexual but a good number of my friends are, and they’re just like everyone else.” said Caroline Swicegood. “And they have the same types of relationships as we have, and they deserve all the rights as we get.”

Supporters rallied to show their opposition to President George W. Bush's call for a constitutional amendment banning gay marriages. The gay couples were not given marriage licenses Thursday, though some couples have repeatedly tried to get married. “This is the second time we’ve tried this,” said Yolanda Farnum, standing next to her life partner. “We tried it in Richmond on February 14, when it was a nationwide effort, and we’re just going to keep going to every little city and state that we can find that will let us do this.” But they were shadowed by counter demonstrators against the idea of same-sex unions, arguing that the law and the Holy Bible is on their side.


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Range lawmakers sound off on gay marriage
By Candi Walz
The Daily Tribune
ST. PAUL — The House voted on the great marriage debate Wednesday and said voters should be given the opportunity to define marriage as one man, one woman.


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Ore. lawmakers join legal debate over gay marriage
Associated Press
Fifteen state lawmakers want to join a lawsuit over the legality of gay marriages in Oregon. The Republican lawmakers filed court papers Thursday to make their voices heard in a lawsuit filed by the American Civil Liberties Union.

The Senate today advanced a heavily amended proposal to ban gay marriage...
BY ABE LEVY
The Wichita Eagle
TOPEKA - The Senate today advanced a heavily amended proposal to ban gay marriage, but the 21-17 margin was well short of the two-thirds majority it would need on final action

India News > Transvestites (sic)seek right to vote as the third sex
(Aavani seek right to vote as the third sex)

Chennai, Mar 25 (IANS) :

Tamil Nadu's transvestites Thursday protested against an Election Commission (EC) rule that stipulates voters can only classify themselves as either male or female.The protest followed a Madras High Court direction to the EC to register transvestites as voters and give wide publicity to the fact that they had the right to vote.Transvestites have been demanding a right to vote under an independent category for some years now. The court Tuesday heard a public interest petition from a transvestite, A. Rajni, who is a member of the Southern Districts Women's Federation, demanding separate voter identity cards. Most transvestites have not been able to exercise their franchise till now, not being able to fill the EC form, which seeks sex specification as male or female.The state government told the court that there are 140,000 "Aravani (transvestites)" in Tamil Nadu. Only 11 of them are registered as voters, after specifying themselves as either male or female. Ahigh court bench, comprising Chief Justice Subhashan Reddy and judge M. Thanickachalam, said transvestites should be told that while filling the voter registration form, they are free to call themselves either male or female according to their preference."We do not want to call ourselves either male or female," protsted Rajni.

yes... Rajni... has it right...

Multnomah Co. Holds Hearings On Gay Marriage Decision
by 365Gay.com Newscenter Staff
(Portland, Oregon) Multnomah County, under pressure from residents opposed to same-sex marriage, held its first public hearings on the issue today.
More than 50 people testified before the commissioners. Much of the opposition focused on moral grounds, and several people objected to the commission reaching agreement to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples without public consultation.

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UTAH DESERVES MORE THAN DIVISIVE POLITICS
"The people of Utah deserve equality, not discrimination," said HRC President Cheryl Jacques.
WASHINGTON - Utah Gov. Olene Walker Tuesday signed a divisive and discriminatory measure into law that restates a 1996 Utah law that denies marriage rights and responsibilities to same-sex couples. The new law also bans civil unions, domestic partnerships or related legal protection for same-sex couples.

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. (AP) -- Jurors convicted Martin Hartman of first-degree murder by arson for torching an apartment, killing a homosexual man, but the panel wasn't convinced it was a hate crime as prosecutors alleged.
Clinton Risetter, 37, was killed in the fire on Feb. 24, 2002. Hartman allegedly told police investigators he set the blaze because Risetter was gay. But defense attorneys argued during trial that Hartman, 40, has mental problems and he falsely confessed while in a psychotic state. "What happened is, I went in there and I, I put his bed on fire and he died," Hartman said on videotape shown during trial. When detectives asked why he did that, he replied: "Because he was unhappy and deserved to die." Hartman expressed a hatred for homosexuals numerous times during the 10-hour interrogation. "I don't like gay people," he said on the videotape. Assistant Public Defender Greg Paraskou said Wednesday he was disappointed with the verdict and plans to appeal. Hartman, who faces a mandatory sentence of life in prison without possibility of parole, will be sentenced April 7. "I feel a very dangerous man has been taken off the streets," Deputy District Attorney Joyce Dudley said.

City court turns away gay couples
By Brian Baer
fredericksburg.com
Date published: 3/25/2004
The anxious couple fidgeted and exchanged silly banter. They joked about who would pay for a divorce if it ever came to that. And, just a couple of minutes after turning in their paperwork to the clerk of the court, they kissed on the lips. In many ways, Pat Victor and Dale Dugger could have been any other engaged pair applying for a marriage license at the Fredericksburg Circuit Court. Except they are both men. The couple were one of four gay and lesbian couples who applied for licenses earlier today as part of a downtown rally in support of legalizing gay marriage in Virginia. All were denied licenses because Virginia state law prohibits same-sex marriages.

Opponents rally against gay marriage ban

ST. PAUL (AP) -- Opponents of a proposed ban on gay marriages in Minnesota are rallying at the state Capitol -- three days after supporters of the amendment held their own rally. Several thousand people attended today's rally. The crowd is roughly the same size as the one by amendment supporters on Monday. Explorer Ann Bancroft was among the speakers today. She says President Bush touts a message of spending money. And if he really wanted to stimulate the economy, she joked he would let gay men marry. Bancroft says opponents of the proposed ban must speak loudly to "drown out the voices of a few." The Minnesota House overwhelmingly approved the measure yesterday. A Senate committee holds a hearing tomorrow.

Multnomah Co. residents to join gay marriage debate wtih commissioners
By TERESA BELL, kgw.com Staff
Multnomah County commissioners will take public input in the debate over same-sex marriages Thursday morning. A public hearing is scheduled to begin at 10:15 a.m. in the Multnomah Building at 501 SE Hawthorne Boulevard.


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amerikans can be so hateful and bigoted..

Gay-marriage debate sparks 'inflammatory' comments
By:Rob Roberts, Sun Staff Writer March 25, 2004
The Senate Judiciary Committee on Monday advanced a resolution calling for a state constitutional ban on gay marriages via a voice vote - meaning individual votes were not recorded. But it's not hard to guess where state Sen. Kay O'Connor, R-Olathe, stands on the resolution. O'Connor, who refers to the "lusty perversions of the homosexual lifestyle" in a form letter penned for those inquiring about her position on same-sex marriage, co-sponsored the Senate version of the resolution, voted for it as a member of the Judiciary Committee and said she would do so again when it reaches the Senate floor.


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if you live in Kansas.. call today stop them now!

Senate begins gay marriage debate
By Scott Rothschild, Journal-World
Topeka — The Kansas Senate was scheduled to start debate this morning on a proposed constitutional amendment that would prohibit gay marriage and civil commitments. The House has already approved the measure. If 27 members in the 40-member Senate approve the House version, the matter will be on the ballot for voter consideration in November


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Locals discuss DOMA petition
By Dan Schwind
Assistnat City Editor
March 25, 2004
Town residents spoke out on a petition at Wednesday's Chapel Hill Town Council public forum that would ask the N.C. General Assembly to disregard portions of the Defense of Marriage Act. While same-sex couples would not be allowed to marry within the state if the measure passed, municipalities would be allowed to recognize any couples married legally elsewhere in the country


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stop Kentucky now!

Ky. House Dems. clear way for vote on gay marriage amend.
FRANKFORT, KY (AP) -- Democrats have cleared the way for the House to vote on a proposed constitutional amendment to ban same-sex marriages. The dramatic reversal occurred at a private meeting that lasted nearly three hours. The 64-member Democratic caucus decided to let the proposal advance. A House committee is scheduled to vote on the amendment at a special meeting Wednesday night.


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Pride For Town That Tried To Imprison Gays
(Nashville, Tennessee) Less than a week after Rhea County was forced to back down on calling for the power to jail gays under Tennessee's Crimes Against Nature law the LGBT community is preparing for its first Pride Day.

Gays from across the country are being urged to converge on Rhea County on May 24 to celebrate Rhea County Gay Day. website


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Poll Shows Most Americans Oppose Gay Marriages
By Mark Egan
NEW YORK (Reuters) - Most Americans oppose gay marriage and same-sex unions but nevertheless do not support President Bush's proposal to amend the U.S. Constitution to define marriage as between a man and a woman, a new poll revealed on Thursday.

County clergy members aim to stamp out homophobia
By SHANNA McCORD
On Wednesday, Johnson joined 15 other ministers, rabbis and priests in a planning session for "Out in Our Faith," a three-day event in June featuring multi-faith worship and workshops. Participants will analyze excerpts from the Bible and discuss the sanctification of gay marriage.


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Democrats take heat for stalled gay marriage vote
By JIM THARPE
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Supporters of a constitutional amendment to ban same-sex marriage have accused key Democrats of being "obstructionists" for allowing the proposal to stall in a committee as the legislative clock ticks down.


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ok..Arizona its time to take action cal your representatives today... or if you know someone in Arizona , have them call, let them know... today is the day..

2 legislators debate gay marriage
Elvia Díaz
The Arizona Republic
Sharply divided over same-sex marriage, state senators are expected to cast preliminary votes today on a measure designed to encourage Congress to pursue a constitutional amendment banning such unions.


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Subcommittee kills civil union bill for year
By BONNA de la CRUZ
Staff Writer
Democrats stack deck in voting, says bill sponsor, who vows '05 tryIt took reinforcements, but House Democrats yesterday succeeded in killing an effort to prevent Tennessee from legally recognizing same-sex civil unions or domestic partnerships.


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Scrap marriage amendment
U.S. Rep. Marilyn Musgrave and Sen. Wayne Allard have modified the text of their proposed constitutional amendment to ban same-sex marriage in what they describe as an effort to ensure that it would not prevent states from enacting civil union laws such as those adopted by Vermont. In our view, the two Colorado lawmakers would be wiser to simply abandon their effort to write social policy into the Constitution. Their new language is at least as ambiguous as their old wording.


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Gay gov't employees lose their protection
Last month the White House removed information from government Web sites about sexual orientation discrimination in the workplace. That's because federal employees can now be fired for being homosexual. On Feb. 23 Washington Post columnist Steven Barr reported that references to sexual orientation discrimination were removed from Federal employment complaint forms posted on agency Web sites. At the time, President Bush's new appointee to head the Office of Special Counsel, Scott Bloch, said the policy was under review.
Last week, Bloch issued his brief on the matter. According to Bloch, federal employees will now "have no recourse if they are fired or demoted simply for being gay."


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this is a good step in recognition of equal rights..

Citing SJC ruling, judge dissolves gay civil union
By Kathleen Burge, Globe Staff, 3/25/2004
 
In a decision built on the Supreme Judicial Court's historic rulings allowing gay marriage, a Massachusetts probate court judge has legally dissolved the union of a gay couple joined in a Vermont civil union two years ago.


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Gay marriage: Many gay youths agree they need to keep fighting for rights
Michelle Tan Many more young people are confronting their sexuality earlier in life, leading them to question how they fit into the very public and ongoing debate about whether gays should have the right to marry. This battle between tradition and change has divided everyone from politicians in Congress to residents in Central Minnesota.


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Press for clarity on gay marriage
By Raphael Lewis, Globe Staff, 3/25/2004State Senate President Robert E. Travaglini began drumming up support yesterday for a more "clear and precise" constitutional amendment to ban gay marriage and create civil unions, amid signs that House Democrats loyal to Speaker Thomas M. Finneran will abandon the measure.
In a letter to lawmakers, Travaglini and Senate minority leader Brian P. Lees, an East Longmeadow Republican, wrote that the latest proposal represents "an effort to broaden this emerging consensus," primarily by ensuring that the state would not be have to pay for federal benefits to same-sex couples once civil unions are established.


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David A. Mittell Jr.: Mass. marriage machinations

Gay fraternity wins UVa council's approval
By Kate Andrews  / Daily Progress staff writer
A national gay fraternity can come to the University of Virginia, thanks to a vote by the university’s Multicultural Greek Council.


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Gay Couple Gets Death Threats
Kansas City, MO --- A gay couple in Kansas City has their commitment ceremony at a nightclub, now they're getting death threats. The couple says, it's because of the venue they chose, there was no minister and the ceremony was on live TV. The day after the ceremony, Chris Wright and Jeff Kelley say the disturbing phone calls and emails started coming in. They say, they even received death threats. The couple says the threats are coming from the gay community.
The Wrights says this, in response to the concerns: They couldn't find a minister to perform the ceremony, and they didn't think anyone would show up, if they had it at a church. As for having it on live TV, they say, they didn't do it for the public.


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Anti-gay group plans protest at pastor's church
ELLENSBURG - Picketers from the Kansas-based radical anti-gay group Westboro Baptist Church plan to stage a protest on Easter Sunday outside the First United Methodist Church in Ellensburg, the most recent church of lesbian pastor Karen Dammann.



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Local gays, lesbians gather to support same-sex marriage
BY JULIAN PECQUET
Florida.
That struggle gained new momentum when Massachusetts' highest court ruled it unconstitutional for that state to define marriage as between a man and a woman. Soon after, a few communities across the nation issued marriage licenses to hundreds of couples. In Sarasota County earlier this year, six same-sex couples tried unsuccessfully to get marriage license applications. A group of 175 gays and lesbians filed suit in Broward County last month challenging the state law that prohibits same-sex marriage.
President George Bush has proposed a constitutional ban on same-sex marriage.
"For the first time in history, the U.S. Congress is contemplating whether to write discrimination into the Constitution," Bo Shuff, of the Human Rights Campaign, the nation's largest advocacy group for homosexuals, told the gathering Wednesday.
Proponents of the ban say gay and lesbian advocates were the first to tinker with the laws, by getting activist judges to redefine age-old beliefs they say are held sacred by most Americans.
"They're saying, 'don't amend the constitution,' but then it's also the wrong thing to do to go through the courts," said David Canton, executive director of the nonprofit Florida Family Association in Tampa. "Now the ball's been thrown in their court, and they don't like that." Canton said the constitutional amendment is needed because if one state recognizes same-sex marriages, other states could be forced to recognize the unions.
Gay and lesbian advocates gathered Wednesday pledged to lobby against the constitutional ban by contacting state and national lawmakers. They also said they will encourage them to overturn laws in 38 states -- including Florida -- that define marriage as a union between a man and a woman. "I claim the right to decide what relationship I hold sacred," said Vonne New, a mother and lesbian activist with Equality Florida. "I don't understand how hurting my family is supposed to help the family."

7 out of 8 speakers support same-sex marriagesCHAPEL HILL -- Seven residents told the Town Council on Wednesday that it should ask N.C. legislators to repeal a state law that says same-sex marriages are invalid, while an eighth person spoke against that step.


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Speaker addresses LBGT identity, oppression issues


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Judy Shepard speaks to FGCU crowd about hate crimes, gay marriage ban

Marriage Equality California and Equality California Commend U.S. Rep. Nancy Pelosi for Supporting Marriage Equality and Mayor Gavin Newsom's Actions

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IOWA RESPECTS EQUALITY IN CONSTITUTION
"The defeat of this discriminatory amendment shows respect for equality in Iowa's constitution," said HRC President Cheryl Jacques.

Gay men liable to jail for life in Zanzibar

Jeevan Vasagar, east Africa correspondent
Thursday March 25, 2004
The Guardian
A moral panic over homosexuality in Zanzibar has prompted the island's government to draft a law imposing life imprisonment for men convicted of gay sex. Homosexuality is already illegal on the Indian Ocean island and the gay scene is covert, but the draft bill appears to be a backlash against the increasing numbers of Zanzibaris living more openly gay lifestyles.
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Fight Over Gay Marriage Amendment Polarizes Frankfort
Jon Hardison
The fight over a proposed constitutional amendment that would define marriage as being between a man and a woman led to a wild scene on the floor of Kentucky's House of Representatives and accusations from Governor Ernie Fletcher. Democratic House leaders led by Speaker of the House Jody Richards (D)-Bowling Green used parliamentary procedures to defeat Republican efforts to bring the proposed amendment to the floor for a full vote.

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NGLTF launches night of marriage equality on May 16
On May 16--the night before same-sex couples in Massachusetts will become eligible to apply for marriage licenses--more than 100 households across the country will host parties in support of the marriage equality work of the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force. The parties will be linked to each other via a national conference call to listen to a "state of the unions" address from Task Force executive director Matt Foreman as well as calls to action from other special guests.

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Utah Governor Signs Bill Enhancing Gay Marriage Ban
Olene Walker, Governor of Utah, today signed a bill that changes the state's ban on same-sex marriage to include a ban on domestic partnerships and civil unions. At the same time that the revisions to the existing law were approved, an amendment to the state constitution was also approved with similar provisions. The amendment will appear on the November ballot.

Former G-O-P congressman denounces gay marriage amendment, backs ads opposing it
Los Angeles-AP -- Former California Congressman Michael Huffington, a life-long Republican, is denouncing President Bush's call for a constitutional amendment barring same-sex marriage.
Huffington, the former husband of columnist Arianna Huffington, says as a bisexual, he finds the proposed amendment clearly discriminatory. He compares it to efforts a century ago to amend the Constitution to ban interracial marriage

Pelosi says supports gay marriage, Newsom's action
BETH FOUHY
Associated Press
SAN FRANCISCO - Breaking weeks of silence on the gay marriage spree that consumed her hometown of San Francisco for nearly a month, House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi said she believes gay couples can marry and that she approved of Mayor Gavin Newsom's decision to grant same-sex marriage licenses.
In a televised interview on Fox News on Wednesday, Pelosi, who has strongly opposed a constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage while steering clear of endorsing Newsom's action, was pressed by host Neil Cavuto to clarify her position.
"Can same sex couples marry?" Cavuto asked.
"Yes," Pelosi responded.
"So what the mayor of San Francisco is doing, you would approve of it?" Cavuto asked.
"Yes," Pelosi said

Ken Darling: Try marriage-rights shoe on other foot
Imagine if evangelical Christians -- the loudest critics of granting civil marriage rights to gay Americans -- were the minority seeking such rights. Would it be OK to say about them what they say about gay Americans?

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Court Strikes Down Ban On Gay Dad From 'Exposing' Son To Homosexuality
by 365Gay.com Newscenter Staff
Posted: March 24, 2004 8:02 p.m. ET
(Nashville, Tennessee) The Tennessee Court of Appeals this evening struck down a court order that told a gay parent not to do anything which "exposes" his son to "the gay lifestyle". The court said that the prohibition was unenforceable under state law.

Schism Looms After Lesbian Methodist Acquittal
Wednesday, March 24, 2004 4:14 p.m. ET
By Greg Frost
BOSTON (Reuters) - Conservative members of the United Methodist Church warned on Wednesday that the decision to allow an openly gay woman to remain a minister in the Church may tear apart the nation's third-largest Christian denomination. A United Methodist clergy jury ruled unanimously on Saturday that Karen Dammann may remain a minister and stay in a lesbian relationship, despite a Church law that declares homosexuality "incompatible" with Christian teachings.

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District's stance against transgender policy threatens budget
Associated Press
WESTMINSTER, Calif. - A small school district's refusal to change its discrimination policy to include transgender students has harmed its ability to gain credit and threatens its budget. Bank of America rejected the Westminster School District's application for a $16 million credit line because its stance could threaten the district's state and federal funding. The credit line is badly

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call for queers to converge in Boston July 26-29, at the time of the Democratic National Convention.
Calling all Radical Queers!!!
This is an invitation to organize, to strategize, to create a space where we can be the ones who make real change happen, on our terms. The Democrats are coming together for a meeting in Boston, July 26-July 29, 2004, to discuss their plan to rid the United States of the powers of Bush. The Democrats keep their power by appeasing the centrists and liberals who are not at all committed to destroying structures of domination and working for liberation. They launch their own attacks on poor people, people of color, women, people with disabilities, and queers, thinly veiled as liberalism and necessary concessions. The Democrats will not be coming together to discuss the need to end the systemic oppression that is rampant throughout US culture. They will also not be coming together to discuss how they can better meet our needs through legislative action or executive order. Rather, they will be coming to Boston for a week of celebrating their own power, having meetings and speeches and dinners where they can stroke their egos and know that they will get votes simply because they are "anyone but Bush." This isn't about who you're going to vote for or if you're going to vote. This is about the lack of choices in a racist, sexist, transphobic, anti-poor, ablist, anti-queer culture and what we are going to do about it.

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Gay newlywed charged with flashing
NEW PALTZ - A New Hampshire man on Saturday became the first person arrested at the ongoing same-sex weddings in the village when, just before his own wedding to a male partner, he allegedly flashed his buttocks at a group of protesters, police said

House approves bill for gay marriage amendment
St. Paul, Minn. — (AP) The Minnesota House has voted in support of putting a constitutional amendment to ban gay marriage on the ballot this fall. Some Democrats joined the Republican-controlled House on Wednesday in passing the measure on an 88-42 vote.
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The Catholic war against gay marriage
The Catholic Church has cultivated a campaign of harassment against Catholic legislators who support marriage rights for same-sex couples. Will it work?
BY KRISTEN LOMBARDI

THE MOST POWERFUL local opponent fighting against the civil-marriage rights of same-sex couples is the Catholic Church. For months, the state’s four bishops — led by Boston archbishop Seán O’Malley — have mounted an unprecedented campaign to sway the votes of Catholic politicians on Beacon Hill. It began in earnest in June 2003, with the release of the bishops’ first statement denouncing same-sex marriage. On November 18, 2003, when the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court (SJC) determined that the ban on civil marriage for same-sex couples was unconstitutional, Archbishop O’Malley urged state legislators to thwart the SJC ruling. Within a week, he and his fellow bishops issued a joint statement opposing the historic ruling, which was either read from the pulpit or distributed at mass across the state — or both. On January 16, the bishops mailed a four-page, glossy brochure to one million Bay State Catholics urging them to work for passage of a constitutional amendment that would bar lesbian and gay couples from marrying. O’Malley has even aligned himself with radical evangelical Christians in the battle against gay marriage. On February 8, the Sunday before the first day of the constitutional convention (ConCon), the archbishop addressed an anti-gay-marriage rally on the Boston Common organized by Your Catholic Voice and featuring representatives from national right-wing groups like Concerned Women for America and the Family Research Council. He asked the 3000-strong audience to "stand together" to "affirm marriage and family" and then read from a February 6 statement opposing gay marriage that had been signed by 3000 religious leaders statewide.

ACLU, Gay Couples Sue in Oregon
Wednesday March 24, 2004 9:46 PM
By ANDREW KRAMER
Associated Press Writer
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) - The American Civil Liberties Union filed a lawsuit Wednesday that could put the issue of gay marriage on the fast track to the state's Supreme Court.
The dispute over same-sex weddings could be heard as early as next month.
Several other legal challenges had been brought by conservative leaders and Christian pastors, but gay-marriage opponents and supporters consolidated their lawsuits because they agree the ACLU's suit most directly addresses the constitutional issues arising from gay marriage

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Hate disguised as family values is still hate
Wednesday, March 24, 2004
By Dennis Taylor
In all the clamor over same-sex marriage, the religious right, and its mouthpieces like Cynthia Walker and J.G. McCormick, seem to be a bit timid about addressing the central issue. They have ducked it repeatedly when others raise the question: Why do you want our government to adopt your church's doctrine on this particular issue of civil rights?

ACLU involved in Gast case
By CONNIE PARISH, Times Staff Writer
The court appearance for a transsexual charged with false swearing in applying for a marriage license last week was continued today because her attorney couldn't be present.
Meanwhile, the American Civil Liberties Union has become involved in Sandy Gast's case because of what executive director Dick Kurtenbach called "civil rights issues."
"I don't know how many people have had to spend six hours in jail" because they were accused of the misdemeanor of false swearing, Kurtenbach said this morning in Leavenworth County District Court. Gast had been scheduled to appear before Judge Frederick Stewart. Kurtenbach said the ACLU will also be investigating Gast's treatment while she was in jail. If what Gast alleged was true, that she was strip searched by a male officer, Kurtenbach said, "that was reprehensible."

Bad people giving Christianity a bad name
It seems to me that because of these horrible people who call themselves "Christians", they have tainted Christianity. Now, when I hear "Christian", I think of these horrible, judgemental people who think they are morally superior, and only think forgiveness is divine when THEY need it for THEIR transgressions. Jesus Christ was vilified, persecuted, nailed to a cross and ultimately murdered by just these kind of people. Why do THEY think THEY have a right to persecute others?

Bad people giving Christianity a bad name
It seems to me that because of these horrible people who call themselves "Christians", they have tainted Christianity. Now, when I hear "Christian", I think of these horrible, judgemental people who think they are morally superior, and only think forgiveness is divine when THEY need it for THEIR transgressions. Jesus Christ was vilified, persecuted, nailed to a cross and ultimately murdered by just these kind of people. Why do THEY think THEY have a right to persecute others?

Bad people giving Christianity a bad name
It seems to me that because of these horrible people who call themselves "Christians", they have tainted Christianity. Now, when I hear "Christian", I think of these horrible, judgemental people who think they are morally superior, and only think forgiveness is divine when THEY need it for THEIR transgressions. Jesus Christ was vilified, persecuted, nailed to a cross and ultimately murdered by just these kind of people. Why do THEY think THEY have a right to persecute others?

Senate Narrowly Defeats Gay Marriage Ban
Lawmakers Vote 25-24 To Defeat Same-Sex Marriage Resolution
DES MOINES, Iowa --
The Senate narrowly defeated a resolution Tuesday night that would have called for a state constitutional amendment to ban gay marriages. Lawmakers debated whether the resolution, which defines marriage as a union between only one man and one woman, was needed. Sen. Matt McCoy, a Des Moines Democrat, argued that there's already an Iowa law that recognizes only marriage between a man and a woman.


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News ethics in flux when deciding who can cover certain issues
BY LIZ HALLORAN
The Hartford Courant
HARTFORD, Conn. - (KRT)
- Rachel Gordon and Liz Mangelsdorf are veteran newspaper journalists who, by all accounts, have done a credible job covering the explosive issue of same-sex marriage for the San Francisco Chronicle.

UN to vote on gay rights
By Tim Benzie & Myles Wearring
A UN resolution to support gay and lesbian rights worldwide will be voted on by the end of April, and activists are calling for local support.


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if this is not the most ridiculous thing I have heard, it certainly tops the list.. for someone to say acknowledge to a class their same gender marriage, and have a parent say it is promoting a pro-gay agenda, and not questioning a hetroosexu-al marriage announcement as promoting a hetroosexu-al agenda... well shit... I don't know are people stupid or just stupid....

Parents complain, district investigates gay teacher's remarks
The Associated Press
CAMARILLO, Calif. --
When seventh- and eighth-graders asked teacher Ron Fanelle about rumors he was a homosexual and got married to his partner in San Francisco, he told the students it was true. The class gave him a standing ovation. But it's not so happily ever after for Fanelle, who had previously kept his personal life out of the classroom. The parents of one student pulled their child out of Fanelle's class and another parent showed up at a school board meeting to accuse the middle school teacher of promoting a pro-gay agenda.


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Not marriage, but gay couples benefit from registries.


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Civil Union bill dies
By Skip Cauthorn, scauthorn@nashvillecitypaper.com
The controversial bill to ban the recognition of homosexual civil unions in Tennessee died this morning in a state House subcommittee.

The bill, which would have stated that those who have entered into such a union in other states wouldn't be recognized here, failed 4-5 in the Domestic Relations Subcommittee.

Gay marriage amendment author on defense
The proposal's language is called ambiguous and some say could bar benefits from same-sex couples
03/24/04
JEFF KOSSEFF
WASHINGTON -- Sen. Wayne Allard on Tuesday defended his proposed constitutional amendment that would prohibit gay marriage, arguing that it would not bar states from allowing same-sex civil unions or domestic partnerships. At a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing Tuesday, Allard, R-Colo., faced significant opposition from Democrats, even after rewriting his bill in an attempt to placate critics. Looming in the background was the larger debate of whether governments should allow same-sex marriages, such as those licensed in Multnomah County this month. But the hearing also focused on other types of same-sex unions, such as the domestic partnerships registered in Multnomah County since 2000 and Vermont's civil unions.


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No Straight Answers
By Randy B. Hecht, May & June 2004
America’s older gays and lesbians struggle with health care, inheritance, retirement benefits, social services, prejudice, and more

Defense is hinting at heat-of-passion claim
By Ivan Delventhal, STAFF WRITER
HAYWARD -- Attorneys for three men charged with killing a transgender Newark teen offered hints of potential trial strategies as they questioned prospective jurors Tuesday. In his line of questioning, Michael Thorman, attorney for defendant Michael Magidson, suggested he ultimately could ask a jury to decide whether the killing was in fact a manslaughter -- a killing committed during a heat of passion -- rather than premeditated first-degree murder.

King's widow condemns proposed gay marriage ban
POMONA, N.J. -- Calling gay marriage a civil rights issue, Coretta Scott King denounced a proposed constitutional amendment that would ban it. Constitutional amendments should be used to expand freedom, not restrict or deny it, she said. "Gay and lesbian people have families, and their families should have legal protection, whether by marriage or civil union," King said. "A constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriages is a form of gay bashing and it would do nothing at all to protect traditional marriages."

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Log Cabin Republicans Urge Senate to Reject Any Anti-Family Constitutional Amendment
(Washington, DC)—As the Senate Judiciary Committee convenes to once again consider an anti-family Constitutional amendment, the Log Cabin Republicans call on the Senate to reject any attempt to write discrimination into our Constitution. “Log Cabin Republicans and the majority of Americans oppose any attempt to write discrimination into the Constitution. Yesterday’s weak attempts to sugarcoat a discriminatory amendment should be rejected by our Senate,” said Log Cabin Republicans Executive Director Patrick Guerriero.

“Log Cabin’s position has not changed. The far right should leave our sacred Constitution alone. Yesterday the far right unveiled a so-called ‘new’ amendment that attempts to disguise their true discriminatory purposes by playing games with the language they use. For a group that routinely criticizes over-zealous activist lawyers, they seem to have no problem using legal double-talk to try to disguise their true intentions. What the far right is really trying to do is figure out the most politically palatable way to write discrimination into the Constitution. There is no way to do so. You can’t disguise discrimination. Their strategy has changed, their motives have not,” continued Guerriero.


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EQUALITY CALIFORNIA FIGHTS AMENDMENT WITH LOG CABIN REPUBLICANS
“Equality California is committed to working with the Log Cabin Republicans to defeat any proposed amendment to our nation’s Constitution that would discriminate against gay and lesbian Americans by making them second class citizens,” stated Geoffrey Kors, Executive Director of Equality California. “Log Cabin Republicans have taken a strong and difficult stand within the Republican Party. Equality California will continue its efforts to stop a constitutional amendment and build alliances with those who support full equality.”


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HRC: CIVIL RIGHTS LEADER JOHN LEWIS TESTIFIES AGAINST CHANGING CONSTITUTION

WASHINGTON - Rep. John Lewis, D-Ga., delivered powerful testimony today against a discriminatory change to the Constitution, said the Human Rights Campaign. In testifying before the full Senate Judiciary Committee today, Rep. Lewis joined Rep. Barney Frank, D-Mass., constitutional scholar Cass R. Sunstein and Phyllis Bossin, chair of the Family Law Section of the American Bar Association in opposition to changing the Constitution to be a tool for discrimination.

"I am opposed to any amendment that seeks to write discrimination into the Constitution," said Rep. Lewis. "I believe amending the Constitution on this issue is an irrational and radical step that seeks to undermine the civil rights of our citizens."

City takes stand for gay rights
Resolution slams proposed amendment as 'bigoted'
KATHERINE TAM THE OLYMPIAN
OLYMPIA -- The City Council went on record Tuesday in opposition to a constitutional amendment banning gay marriages, calling the proposal "bigoted" and a "red herring" that diverts national attention from other issues. "By supporting this resolution, we will be saying to our federal government that we wish to live in the real world of understanding and civil equality, not a make-believe world of denial and discrimination," Councilman Curt Pavola said.


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I wonder what makes a lawyer an expert on family and queerness.. .. I also found it interesting the range of head lines; Barney fank blasts congress, franks tell personal side, gay ban marriage debated... here is one from a city that want to ban a photography show... with an head line on an expert lawyer.. where to they get these people... besides what this*expert* said is pretty scary stuff...

Experts oppose amendment
Local attorney testifies in D.C.
By Michael Collins
Post Washington Bureau
WASHINGTON -- A Cincinnati family law attorney weighed in on the national debate over gay marriage on Tuesday, telling a congressional panel that a proposed constitutional amendment would have sweeping consequences on state laws that safeguard the well-being of families and children.


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Santa Cruz City Council votes to support gay marriage
By SHANNA McCORD
Sentinel staff writer
Without a word of dissent among themselves or from the public, the City Council approved a resolution Tuesday in support of same-sex marriage. The resolution, passed unanimously by the seven council members, includes honoring marriage licenses issued in San Francisco, writing letters of support to San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom and supporting San Francisco in its fight for the state to recognize same-sex unions. Some called the city’s resolution "long overdue." "This is a stunning moment in history," said bisexual Sherry Conable, 57. "It’s like the Rosa Parks movement. ... Let’s all step to the front of the bus and refuse to move."


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article with a conservative slant///

Senate panel hears debate on gay-marriage ban
By FAITH BREMNER
Gannett News Service
Proposed amendment
"Marriage in the United States shall consist only of the union of a man and a woman. Neither this Constitution, nor the constitution of any state, shall be construed to require that marriage or the legal incidents thereof be conferred upon any union other than the union of a man and a woman."
WASHINGTON -- Lawmakers, lawyers and ministers debated at a Senate hearing Tuesday whether a constitutional ban on same-sex marriages would help or hurt children or violate the civil rights of gays and lesbians.


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Adoption by gay couples helps stir marriage debate


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ACLU, gay couples sue to uphold same-sex marriage in Oregon
03/24/2004
By ANDREW KRAMER  / Associated Press
Legal disputes in Oregon over the legality of gay marriages will be put on the fast track to the state Supreme Court under a lawsuit that's being prepared by the American Civil Liberties Union. The civil rights group will bring the suit on behalf of nine gay couples from three Oregon counties, who intend to sue the state in Multnomah County Circuit Court for failing to register their same-sex marriages in the office of vital statistics. The lawsuit was expected by noon Wednesday.


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Gay unions may affect benefits
By Stephanie Armour, USA TODAY
The gay marriage debate could mean first-of-a-kind changes to employee benefit plans.


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TV show for deaf bans hand signs for gay, Jewish, Chinese


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Gay, lesbian couples to seek marriage licenses in the city
Members of gay and lesbian community plan to apply for marriage licenses Thursday at Fredericksburg City Hall
By JESSICA ALLEN
Date published: 3/23/2004
Cris Elkins and Gene Hannold have been in a committed relationship for 30 years. Elkins, a 60-year-old Fredericksburg resident, wants to make it legal, but the state of Virginia will not recognize his marriage to another man. "All we want to do is pledge our love, support and care for each other like everyone else," he said. "But we aren't getting the support from the community like regular heterosexual couples."


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Report: Military Gay Dismissals Down
By NANCY ZUCKERBROD
Associated Press Writer
WASHINGTON -- The number of gays dismissed from the military under the Pentagon's "don't-ask, don't tell" policy has dropped to its lowest level in nine years as U.S. forces fought in Afghanistan and Iraq, according to a report by an advocacy group.

"You have to ask yourself, and you have to ask the Pentagon, why are the discharges going down?" said C. Dixon Osburn, executive director of the advocacy group and one of the report's authors. "When they need people, they keep them. When they don't, they implement their policy of discrimination with greater force."