transdada: 08/01/2004

HUMAN RIGHTS CAMPAIGN ADOPTS POLICY SUPPORTING MODERNIZED WORKPLACE LEGISLATION

"We are strongest as a community when we are united and that's why we need the strongest and most unifying protections," said Cheryl Jacques, President of the Human Rights Campaign.

WASHINGTON - The Human Rights Campaign Board of Directors today adopted a policy to support a modernized version of the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA).

The updated language includes gender identity and expression as well as sexual orientation to ensure that every gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender American is protected from employment discrimination.

"Passage of ENDA is a brass ring for our community and we're making it clear that it must have the strongest teeth possible to protect everyone," said Tim Boggs, co-chair of the HRC Board.

The Board of Directors voted to adopt the following resolution: "The Human Rights Campaign adopts a policy that we will only support ENDA if it is inclusive of sexual orientation and gender identity and expression."

HRC took this step to ensure that ENDA will provide real protection to incidents of workplace discrimination. Attorneys who specialize in civil rights laws believe that ENDA without gender identity and expression explicitly stated may not adequately address discrimination against gay, lesbian and bisexual Americans who are often singled out because they're viewed as not conforming to gender norms.

"I am very proud that HRC continues to lead on issues of importance to everyone in our community, including on workplace discrimination," said Gwen Baba, co-chair of the HRC Board of Directors.

"We are strongest as a community when we are united and that's why we need the strongest and most unifying protections," said Cheryl Jacques, President of the Human Rights Campaign. "The staff of the Human Rights campaign will continue to work tirelessly to enact this comprehensive ENDA."

BIG NEWS!!!!!.. HOW LONG DID IT TAKE?...TOO LONG!!!

HRC wants ENDA to include transgender protections

In a strong reversal for the country's largest gay rights group, the Human Rights Campaign will support only a version of the federal Employment Non-Discrimination Act that includes protections for gender identity and expression, a source close to the group told Advocate.com on Friday. The group's board of directors is expected to approve the change on Saturday at its annual meeting.

The HRC's announcement is a win for transgender activists who were angry at the organization because it has been lobbying lawmakers on Capitol Hill to support the current version of ENDA, which does not include protections based on gender identity and expression. As currently written, ENDA would extend federal employment discrimination protections--already provided on the basis of race, religion, gender, national origin, age, and disability--to employees on the basis of their sexual orientation. It was defeated in the Senate by one vote in 1996 and is set to be reintroduced by lawmakers this January.

"Certainly [HRC executive director] Cheryl Jacques led the effort," the source told Advocate.com. "She has been listening to everyone in the community during the past few months, and the senior staff has been moving in this direction."

A handful of groups, led by the Transexual Menace, had announced plans to demonstrate outside HRC's headquarters Saturday morning. Ethan St. Pierre, an organizer of the event, said the rally will go ahead as planned. He had not heard about HRC's announcement as of Friday afternoon but said he remained cautiously optimistic. "We want to hear it straight from them," he said. "If that's the case, then I would be very, very happy. None of us wants people to be excluded from this bill. We can't afford to be a divided community."

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Gender Reassignment Surgery Deemed Not Effective
England
Posted by: Debra Berube

The Guardian has today published a damning article entitled 'Sex changes are not effective, say researchers'. The conclusion of the article, based on a research review carried out by the Aggressive Research Intelligence Unit (ARIF) of Birmingham University, is that there is no proven benefit to anyone undergoing gender reassignment surgery. We understand that The Guardian proposes to publish a further in-depth article in the magazine section of Saturday's edition (31 July).

The management committee of the Trust is considering the options available to it in rebutting the misleading information that they consider the article contains and prejudicial to the lives, health and security of its members. In the meantime it is suggested that having read the article you may feel minded to give your views, by email, to the Editor of the Guardian with a copy to us please.

Should you do so, perhaps you could frame your response with the following in mind :

US senators targeted in 'outing' campaign
By Frances Dickenson and Caz Gorman

Michael Rogers lives on the top floor of a block of flats in Washington DC, with a balcony and a fine view of the city whose secrets he is systematically giving up. Mr Rogers, who is gay, is waging a controversial "outing" campaign against gay Senators, members of Congress and Capitol Hill staffers who support the presidentially sponsored campaign to ban same-sex marriages.

The headquarters for his campaign is a workstation in the corner of his sitting room. From here he sifts tips-offs, updates his blog site (www.blogactive.com) and above all makes the phone calls that gays on the Hill have come to dread.

"It's about exposing hypocrisy, about ending a conspiracy of deceit and silence," Mr Rogers says. "These people work for politicians who are working to discriminate against gays. Then they seek protection from the very people their bosses are trying to hurt. It's surreal."

Mr Rogers's first target was Jonathan Tolman, a senior aide for a senate committee chaired by Senator James Inhofe of Oklahoma, one of the most conservative Senators. A couple of years earlier Mr Tolman had posed for a risqué photo-spread in a Washington gay magazine. Mr Rogers posted this information on his websit

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Fake website attacks 'gay pride' parade
By Jonathan McCambridge
belfast telegraph.co.uk

A CONTROVERSIAL "Christian coalition" has been condemned for setting up a fake 'Belfast Pride' website to coincide with today's city centre march.

The site - branded "sick" and "homophobic" by gay rights campaigners - features links to the official websites of three main political parties in Northern Ireland.

Up to 1,500 gay and heterosexual people were taking to the streets to support the Belfast Pride march.

But the Stop the Parade Organisation, describing itself as a coalition of Christian groups, was formed in a bid to oppose it.

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Hundreds attend gay pride parade
Activists said the annual event was vital for young gay people

Hundreds of people have taken part in the annual gay pride parade in Belfast.

Although a number of protesters turned up, the parade passed off peacefully.

A small number of protesters gathered outside the City Hall a short time before Saturday's parade began.

Not only did they want their objections heard - but they wanted the parade stopped.

Jonathan Larner, from the group, said they wanted to see the procession banned from taking place in future.

“An attempted Murder of a Meti in Kathmandu”

I am writing to express deep concern about attempted murder of a Meti (cross dressing male) by some men in Kathmandu today early morning.

Suraj, a Meti with his other Meti friends, was waiting for a cup of tea after night disco in Jamal at the footpath shop. Suraj saw a big crowd nearby and approached out of curiosity. What he saw was shocking. JayaRam (another Meti) crying for help to get him to Hospital near by, Jayaram was trying to stop the intense bleeding from his throat and his left hand’s thumb was nearly completely severed. Suraj asked Jaya Ram “what happened?” Jayaram couldn’t speak, he was telling suraj by the sign language that his throat has been cut with a knife. Suraj crossed the crowd and celled other Metis (Bhumika and Rajesh) and rushed Jayaram by the taxi to Bir hospital, a government hospital in the center of Katmandu. The bleeding was intense; he was taken to the emergency unit at the Bir hospital. It was about 3:15am early morning today.

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Gays in the pink over trust move
Homosexual and gay couples have welcomed a decision by heritage chiefs to give their blessing to gay weddings in some of their properties.
BBC

Bosses of the National Trust for Scotland will work on the plans with a Surrey-based firm, Pink Weddings.

Legislation giving civil union rights and responsibilities to same-sex couples is expected to come into force later this year.

The Civil Partnerships Bill was unveiled in March.

The term "gay marriage" is not used in the Commons bill, but the Civil Partnership Registration Scheme appears to have been designed to be as close to a marriage contract as possible.

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More dioceses blessing same-sex union
By By Rachell Zoll - Associated Press Religion Writer

A vote last year that seemed like a defeat for gays in the Episcopal Church has, in a twist, led to an increasing number of dioceses developing just what advocates wanted -- official services for same-sex unions.

At the tumultuous Episcopal national convention a year ago this week, bishops gutted a measure that would have authorized drafting a liturgy blessing gay partnerships.

But at least six dioceses have interpreted even the watered-down legislation that eventually passed as a go-ahead to develop services or policies for blessing same-gender couples, saying language in the resolution encouraged formalizing the ceremonies in local parishes.

Several bishops had argued the measure was simply an acknowledgment that some parishes were already conducting the ceremonies, even though the church hadn't settled the question of whether the Bible bans gay sex.

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Gays and lesbians want recognition
Massey University survey shows gay and lesbian people want government recognition of same sex relationships (NZ)

Most gay and lesbian people want government recognition of same sex relationships.
Massey University has surveyed more than 2,000 of them over issues of concern.
It says preliminary results show the lesbian, gay and bisexual communities are robust, politically involved, hold traditional values about relationships and are highly educated.
Research leader Mark Henrickson says they were divided on the merits of marriage versus civil union, with 38 percent wanting marriage and 36 percent wanting civil unions. He says the survey should clarify views on controversial issues..

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Asia's biggest gay and lesbian party to kick off in Singapore

A gay and lesbian festival billed by organisers as the largest in Asia will kick off late Saturday in Singapore, where homosexual acts are illegal.

"We will have a very spectacular laser and light show tonight... The whole production cost half a million Singapore dollars (294,000 US), most of it going to production for lights and sounds," said Fridae.com chief executive Stuart Koe.

"Participants can expect a really spectacular party experience."

Party-goers were warned that the unauthorised wearing of any official or military Singapore uniforms, insignia, badges, medals and decorations was against the law.

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SAN FRANCISCO
Asians to rally in favor of same-sex marriage
Rona Marech, Chronicle Staff Writer

When a largely Asian American and overwhelmingly Christian crowd of more than 7,000 people gathered to rally for traditional marriage at the end of April, advocates of same-sex marriage took it as a call to action.

Saying that Asian Americans are often misrepresented as uniformly socially conservative, a coalition of Asian and gay and lesbian organizations is setting out to correct the record with a rally this weekend in Carl Larsen Park, a heavily Asian area near the border of the Parkside and Sunset districts in San Francisco, the same spot where the April protest took place.

"It's important that the community at large understand that there are many fair-minded Asian Americans who support marriage equality," said Andy Wong, of the organization Asian Equality. Several of the leaders in the fight for same-sex marriage are Asian American, he pointed out, including city Assessor Mabel Teng -- who will speak at the rally -- and plaintiffs in the case before the California Supreme Court.

But the Rev. Luke Poon, chairman of an association of Bay Area Chinese churches, said, "Many Chinese, even if they are not Christian, support traditional marriage." Poon doesn't think the rally will attract many people, so he plans to simply ignore it.

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European police to support homosexual officers

Police delegations from nine countries have decided to set up a special European homosexual police network. The decision was made at a special conference in Amsterdam for homosexual police officers.

The European network will support homosexual and lesbian officers at a regional and national level.

The so-called Gaycop network will also offer legal help to police officers who suffer discrimination in the workplace. Although homosexuals are welcome in most European forces, discrimination is still common. The participants in the conference will also be on board the police boat in Amsterdam's annual Gay Pride parade on Saturday.

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Gay Thai Masseur Murder: Man in Court
By Anna Farley, PA News

A 27-year-old man will appear in court today accused of murdering a gay Thai masseur who was found strangled and stabbed at his flat.

Bangkok-born Niphan Trikhana, known locally as Nikki, was found dead in his basement bedsit in Chelsea, west London by his landlord on July 23.

A post-mortem examination showed he died of strangulation.

Darren Marcus Johnson, from south west London, will appear before West London magistrates in Hammersmith

MNF-IRAQ: ONE SOLDIER KILLED IN WESTERN BAGHDAD 8/7/2004
TWO MARINES KILLED IN ACTION IN AN NAJAF PROVINCE 8/6/2004
13TH CORPS SUPPORT COMMAND SOLDIER KILLED IN ACTION 8/5/2004
SOLDIER DIES IN NON-COMBAT RELATED INCIDENT 8/3/2004
MARINE DIES OF NON-HOSTILE GUNSHOT WOUND 8/3/2004

Gays File Suit To Block Louisiana Marriage Ban
by Kevin McGill
The Associated Press

(New Orleans, Louisiana) A proposed amendment that would lock a same-sex marriage ban into Louisiana's constitution was challenged in state court Friday on grounds it was illegally approved by the Legislature and should be kept off the Sept. 18 ballot.

A proponent of the amendment said the lawsuit was an act of desperation by gay marriage proponents upset over the recent 71 percent approval of a gay marriage ban by Missouri voters.

The amendment includes language that would ban civil unions and still other language that could be interpreted as outlawing the extension of domestic partnership benefits to unmarried couples. That, said attorney Randy Evans, means the legislation is drawn up for more than one purpose — a "multiple objective" forbidden in legislation by the state constitution.

Plaintiffs identified in the suit include a man who opposes government recognition of same-sex marriage but strongly favors government recognition of same-sex civil unions.

Massive gay support for Civil Union Bill
(NZ)

The first ever national survey of gays and lesbians has found that an overwhelming number want government recognition of same sex relationships.

In the survey by Massey University, 94% of respondents are in favour of legal recognition of same sex relationships, with the majority preferring marriage to civil unions.

One of the researchers, Mark Henrickson, says there is strong support for marriage among women, the young, those on lower incomes, and Green party supporters and non-voters.

Dr Henrickson says the overall results show the lesbian, gay and bisexual communities are politically involved, highly educated and hold traditional values about relationships.

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ABA May Bar Judges From Anti-Gay Groups
GINA HOLLAND
Associated Press

ATLANTA - Judges are on the front line of battles over legal rights for same-sex couples and should never belong to an organization that discriminates against gays, supporters of a proposed change to American Bar Association ethics rules argued Friday.

Judges are already prohibited from joining clubs that discriminate based on race or sex. An ABA panel is debating whether to make groups that discriminate against gays off limits as well.

The ABA, the nation's largest lawyers' group with more than 400,000 members, writes conduct rules for judges and lawyers. States and federal courts generally adopt them, with some changes.

It is not known how many judges participate in groups such as the Boy Scouts that have policies against hiring gays or having homosexual leaders, or some veterans groups that restrict membership to heterosexuals.

Starks: Courts punished me for being different
By Sharon Roznik

In 1992, Jan Starks of Fond du Lac was convicted of second-degree sexual assault and sexual exploitation of a child. The case involved a 13-year-old girl.

Back then, he made bad decisions and poor choices, he says, and has paid the price.

He served two years in prison, followed by six years of probation with conditions that forbade him from wearing women’s clothing or continuing his gender counseling and living with his female fiancee.

Starks is a transgender person, perhaps the only one in the county, he believes.

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Police to wear uniforms at Pride

Officers from Sussex Police are to march in uniform at the Gay Pride parade in Brighton on Saturday - for the first time.

Deputy Chief Constable Joe Edwards said the rule had been relaxed for all events attended by the Gay Police Association (GPA).

Sussex officers have to seek permission but Hampshire police have been told they are not allowed to wear uniforms.

Officers were allowed to wear uniforms last year but wore GPA t-shirts.

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A society in denial
by Eric Beauchemin
In the Palestinian Occupied Territories, gays and lesbians face imprisonment, torture and even death. They cannot take refuge in Israel or seek asylum elsewhere. They are ignored or rejected by everyone, including their own families.

Homosexuality is illegal under Palestinian law. Gays and lesbians have been imprisoned because of their sexual orientation. Human rights groups report that the Palestinian Authority has also tortured homosexuals [link to Rami's case]. No one knows the exact number because most victims are too ashamed to come forward and tell their stories. Even if they did, they would have no one to turn to seek redress.

Shame
Families often reject even their own children, says Bassem Eid, the director of the Palestinian Human Rights Monitoring Group. If someone is convicted, says Eid, "the whole family will be in trouble, not only the gay himself. These families become very isolated. Society will punish the family even though they are completely innocent."

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Msipa quits board over gay spat
Ndamu Sandu

MIDLANDS provincial governor Cephas Msipa has quit as an honorary trustee of the Zimbabwe International Book Fair (ZIBF) to escape a deepening row over the exhibition by gays at the fair.

Msipa resigned on Monday to protest ZIBF's decision to allow the gay rights organisation, Gays and Lesbians of Zimbabwe (Galz), to exhibit at the annual show.

ZIBF executive director Samuel Matsangaise confirmed that Msipa had resigned, citing the gays' presence at the fair

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Atlanta DA Demands End To 'Gay Panic' Defenses
by 365Gay.com Newscenter Staff

(Atlanta, Georgia) For the second time in a year a Georgia jury has rejected the so-called gay panic defense as an excuse for murdering a gay man and Fulton County's District Attorney says he's tired of lawyers using it to shift blame from the accused to the victim.

Thursday a jury of five men and seven women convicted James Lee Shaw, 39, in the August 2002 slaying of a co-worker.

Rowland Hardwick, 53, was stabbed 40 times in a confrontation in the restroom of the restaurant where the two men worked.

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Dutch gays see rising homophobia
By Karl Emerick Hanuska

AMSTERDAM (Reuters) - Even as gays and lesbians prepare to take to Amsterdam's canals tomorrow for the city's annual Gay Pride parade, many homosexuals say intolerance is growing in one of the world's most liberal nations.

A new study by Out Now Consulting on behalf of the journal Gay Krant found nearly 20 percent of gays in the Netherlands experienced some form of harassment in the last two years.

The study did not specify the reasons for rising homophobia, but mounting tensions with some immigrant groups such as Turks and Moroccans and politicians preaching conservative values have been blamed in the past.

Gay groups have also criticised politicians for failing to tackle religious extremists who they accuse of inciting

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HGLPC endorses 17 candidates
When the caucus met on Wednesday, it wasn’t necessarily the usual suspects who showed up to seek endorsement
By JOSEF MOLNAR

Three months before an election, many are touting as a historical crossroads the endorsements of 17 candidates running for local, state and national offices by the Houston Gay & Lesbian Political Caucus (PAC).

The Houston Gay & Lesbian Political Caucus membership on Wednesday had a chance to hear from a number of candidates and their representatives.

In addition to those who represent districts where courting the gay vote is important, candidates seemed to come from areas not usually on the radar for gay and lesbian voters.

Among them was Charlotte Coffelt, who is running for the Texas Legislature from District 127 in Kingwood, northeast of Houston.

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$1 million message flags discrimination
Ad campaign starts emotional dialogue on gays' legal rights
By James Paton, Rocky Mountain News

New advertisements saying "you can be fired just for being gay" have stirred some strong emotions in Colorado and other states, just as the Gill Foundation had hoped.

The group's ad campaign, which came at a cost of more than $1 million and hit the airwaves in Denver; Tampa Bay, Fla.; and Lansing and Flint, Mich., has triggered a flurry of calls, letters and e-mails, said Andrea Hart, the manager of the project.

"It's been quite mixed," she said. "We've received a lot of positive comments, from both gay and straight, but there have been a lot of negative comments, too, from people who still hold some fear and ignorance."

One TV station in Tampa yanked the ads off the air after getting flooded with complaints, said Hart, declining to name the affiliate.

Putting the smackdown on Sister Gramick
A nun wrestles with the Vatican's Grand Inquisitor

The Grand Inquisitor for Mother Rome, head of the Catholic Church's Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, and the driving force behind the world's most powerful campaign against same-sex marriage, has a fan club. The Cardinal Ratzinger Fan Club ("Putting the smackdown on heresy since 1981!") says "Ratzinger keeps himself busy in service to the Truth: correcting theological error, silencing dissenting theologians, and stomping down heresy wherever it may rear its ugly head."

Sister Jeannine Gramick is one of those dissenting theologians whom Ratzinger has stomped on. The Church began monitoring Gramick in 1977 because of her ministry to gays and lesbians. But after Ratzinger became head of the Inquisition, he took a personal interest in Gramick's activities, and eventually he ordered Gramick to be silent on matters regarding homosexuality and religion.

Gramick began working to end the spiritual abuse of homosexuals when she was busy working with another group targeted by Ratzinger - feminists.

"It was 1971 when I became involved in church ministry," Gramick recalled for us in a recent phone conversation. "Hand in hand with that I came in contact with women who were working for justice for women and change in the Church. So that brought me in contact with others who were advocates for change in other areas."

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Council supports same-sex marriage
By Joshua Coman Index-Tribune Staff Writer

8.6.04 - Members of the Sonoma City Council voted unanimously Wednesday night to adopt a resolution declaring support for same-sex civil marriages.

Brought to councilmembers by Anne McGivern, of Marriage Equality California, the resolution supports same-sex civil marriages and opposes any amendment to the U.S. Constitution that would make them illegal.

The resolution, which has no legal effect, received no opposition from members of the audience but received support from three women who spoke in favor of the measure.

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Opposition to marriage ban says fight on track
Steering committee features veteran activists, fresh faces
By RYAN LEE

The members of the Georgians Against Discrimination steering committee come from many different backgrounds and sometimes offer opposing viewpoints, but they say there is unanimity amongst them on two key points.

Six members of the 14-person steering committee said this week that the campaign to defeat a proposed state constitutional amendment to ban gay marriage is on solid ground thanks to volunteers who are doing the “groundwork” while the campaign leadership is in transition.

The members agreed that the campaign’s most effective tool is door-to-door canvassing, where teams of volunteers disperse throughout neighborhoods to talk with fellow Georgians about the proposed amendment and other gay rights issues.

“In my 20 years of LGBT activism I have never seen the community rally around an issue the way we have rallied around this issue,” said Jeff Graham, executive director of the AIDS Survival Project and a member of the steering committee

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Prying open the closet door
Activists leading outing campaign refuse to offer details about their own lives
By JOE CREA

FOR ALL THE closet doors they’ve been opening on Capitol Hill, D.C. gay rights activists Mike Rogers and John Aravosis remain mum on their own personal histories and when their outing campaign will end.

Since June, the two bloggers have spearheaded a controversial outing campaign, listing the names of reportedly gay staff members working for anti-gay members of Congress on their Web sites. The campaign has drawn extensive media coverage, including an appearance by Rogers on Fox News’ “The O’Reilly Factor” last month.

But in an e-mail to the Blade, Aravosis says he is not interested in being profiled in the paper and would rather, “have the [outing] issue stand for and by itself, rather than focusing on personalities.”

Devon and Cornwall sign up for hate crime initiative
Ben Townley, Gay.com UK

Police in Devon and Cornwall are the latest to sign up to a nationwide project tackling hate crime.

Devon and Cornwall Constabulary has signed up to the True Vision project, which was launched earlier this year in a bid to simplify the reporting process for victims of homophobic and racist crime.

The project is also looking to raise awareness of hate crimes, and reassure victims that their case will be treated responsibly and confidentially.

The homophobic section of the project will be launched tonight in Torquay, with police officers attending Rocky's Night Club to fill the gay community in on how they are protected.

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Bollywood style gay film in India

Mumbai: Most of the top Bollywood stars have been in drag (cross-dressing) - Aamir Khan, Shah Rukh Khan and even the star of millennium Amitabh Bachhan, usually for a song-dance routine or for comic interlude.

Otherwise drag queens have been relegated to the sideline - stereotyped and ridiculed.

Gulabi Aaina (The Pink Mirror) - a Bollywood style short film on Indian drag queens is being screened at the British Council, Mumbai on August 6. The film's director Sridhar

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Scottish Churches "outraged" at gay first
Ben Townley, Gay.com UK

Churches across Scotland are reportedly outraged at the revelation that a same-sex couple in Inverness have been blessed by a Church of Scotland minister in a commitment ceremony.

The ceremony, between Karen Sloan and Jacqui Clark, took place in July and an unnamed hotel agreed to host the reception for the couple.

The story only broke this week, after the couple returned from a honeymoon and spoke to the local press of their joy at being married, even if the ceremony was not legally binding.

They said that they believed it to be the first for Inverness and the Highlands.

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Los Angeles city council supports binational gay couples

Gays and lesbians in the United States should be allowed to sponsor their foreign-born partners for residency, says a resolution unanimously passed by the Los Angeles city council on Thursday. The vote to urge Congress to pass the Permanent Partners Immigration Act makes Los Angeles the largest city in the nation to take such a position. "No one deserves special rights because they happen to love the right person," said council member Eric Garcetti, who introduced the resolution. "Because of inequalities in our immigration laws, gay men and lesbians in committed relationships are separated and treated as second-class citizens. The Permanent Partners Immigration Act would provide same-sex couples with the immigration rights currently enjoyed by married couples."

According to a report by City News Service, current immigration law allows citizens and legal permanent residents to sponsor spouses and family members for immigration to the United States. Doug Haxall of Immigration Equality, an organization that works for the cause, told council members many gay couples live under the constant threat of foreign-born partners being deported when their visas expire. "Los Angeles is a city of great diversity. We have citizens from all walks of life--gays and lesbians, many immigrants--and our city more than most is impacted by current immigration law," he said. Sixteen countries, including Australia, Canada, Germany, Israel, and the United Kingdom, recognize same-sex couples for immigration purposes, Haxall said.

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Candidates' views differ on gay unions
Appeal of act case will be job of next attorney general
Jim Camden

Candidates for Washington's governor and attorney general disagree on whether the state can prohibit gay marriages, but they are unanimous in saying they will push for a state Supreme Court hearing on a ruling allowing such marriages.

Wednesday's ruling by King County Superior Court Judge William Downing contradicts the state's Defense of Marriage Act, which defines marriage as a union between a man and a woman. Denying same-sex couples the right to marry violates both their state and federal constitutional rights, the judge found. The effect of the decision is on hold until the case is heard by the state Supreme Court.

Washington Attorney General Christine Gregoire, who is running for governor, said Thursday in Spokane it was her duty as the state's top legal officer to defend laws the Legislature passes. Her office argued the case before Downing, and it will prepare an appeal of Wednesday's

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3-letter word sparks Scrabble scramble
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

NEW ORLEANS -- It wasn't a four-letter word, but it was close enough to cause a stir at the National Scrabble Championship Thursday.

In the final round, eventual champion Trey Wright played the word "lez," which was on a list of offensive words not allowed during the tournament.

Normally, no word is off-limits, but because the games were being taped for broadcast on ESPN, certain terms had been deemed inappropriate, including the three-letter slang for lesbian.

"There are words you just can't show on television," Scrabble Association Executive Director John Williams said.

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Missouri’s gay marriage ban resonating in US
Both sides tout impact of vote
By Alan Cooperman, Washington Post

WASHINGTON -- Following an overwhelming vote to ban gay marriage in Missouri, both sides said Wednesday that an issue that has gained little traction in Congress seems to be resonating with the American people and could play a growing role in this year's congressional and presidential elections.

Gay rights groups said they learned a hard lesson from Missouri's passage of a state constitutional amendment against same-sex marriage and would put up a tougher fight in other states where voters may adopt similar amendments this year. But they expect to lose.

"Sadly, I do think a lot of these state ballot initiatives will succeed despite our best efforts to stop them," said Cheryl Jacques, president of the Human Rights Campaign, the nation's largest gay rights group, and a former state senator in Massachusetts.

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Kerry / Edwards: 'No Objection' To Missouri Gay Marriage Ban
(Cape Girardeau, Missouri) Senator John Edwards, campaigning on Thursday in Cape Girardeau, said he and running mate John Kerry have "no objection" to this week's vote in Missouri to amend the state constitution to ban gay marriage.

"We're both opposed to gay marriage and believe that states should be allowed to decide this question," Edwards said in an interview Thursday, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.

Kerry said the issue is one of states rights. Both Kerry ad Edwards oppose amending the US Constitution to stop gays from marrying.

Kerry is already on record supporting a similar amendment to the constitution of his home state, Massachusetts. Both members of the Democratic ticket support giving limited rights to same-sex couples.

On Tuesday, Missouri became the first state since the legalization of gay marriage in Massachusetts to vote on amending its constitution. More than 70 percent of voters supported the amendment.

TWO MARINES KILLED IN ACTION IN AN NAJAF PROVINCE 8/6/2004
13TH CORPS SUPPORT COMMAND SOLDIER KILLED IN ACTION 8/5/2004

VN transsexuals fight discrimination

HCM CITY — Feeling that "something was not quite right", Nguyen Thai Tai spent more than US$30,000 a year ago on sex-change surgery.

Tai, who works as a beautician in HCM City, is the first person in the city to undergo such an operation.

"I’ve been very happy since I became a woman," she said.

With an oval face and long brown hair, the 30-year-old Thai Tai looks every bit the woman, delicately and skilfully applying make up to her clients.

"Since I was very young, I dreamed of becoming a girl. Although my parents treated me like a boy, I myself thought I was a girl.

Groups react to Missouri voter approval of constitutional amendment banning gay marriage

National groups involved in the gay marriage battle pondered lessons learned in Missouri, where voters overwhelmingly endorsed a state constitutional amendment banning gay marriage. It was the first state to place the restriction in its constitution since Massachusetts's high court ruled last year that gay couples have the legal right to marry in that state.

At least nine other states will consider a similar amendment this year, one as early as September. Another three states have initiatives pending. Four already have constitutional provisions banning gay marriage or giving their legislatures the right to do so.

Ron Schlittler, executive director of the Washington D.C.-based Parents, Families, and Friends of Lesbians and Gays, said Wednesday that the Missouri campaign was tough because the election was so early. "What's going on is, there's a real rush to judgment," he said. His organization has more time to organize get-out-the-vote efforts and communicate with people through rallies and debates about the issue before it's on ballots in other states, he said.

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MAJOR CORPORATIONS TO ADD GENDER IDENTITY/EXPRESSION POLICY
by: GenderPAC, OIA Newswire

The Gender Public Advocacy Coalition (GenderPAC) applauded four corporations for adding gender identity and/or expression to their Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) policies yesterday. The new corporations -- Ford, Keyspan, PepsiCo, and Wells Fargo -- bring to 50 the number of major corporations that have enacted such protections.

"These companies are helping ensure that every American can contribute their talents to the workplace, regardless of whether they fit masculine or feminine norms," said GenderPAC's executive director Riki Wilchins. "More corporations are making clear that all their employees -- male, female, of color, gay, straight, transgender, young and old -- will be judged by the quality of their work, not whether they fit someone's ideals for a 'real' man or a 'real' woman."

The new policies ensure that employers may not discriminate based on gender stereotypes, and ensure corporate response to instances of such discrimination. Other major companies that have enacted such protections include American Airlines, Citigroup, Coors, IBM, and JPMorgan Chase.

"Gender expression" refers to how people manifest feeling masculine or feminine through how they look, act, or dress. "Gender identity" refers to a person's sense of being male or female.

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Woman acts on 'gentleman' tag
Kate Jones, tribunal reporter

A WOMAN claims she suffered months of discrimination because her boss and workmates called her a "gentleman" and referred to her as "he".
Stella Tsarsitalidis, 29, says her former boss, Ken Dyer, humiliated her with offensive comments about her gender.

"Mr Dyer constantly refers to me as a male, or as a gentleman," she said in her complaint to the Equal Opportunity Commission.

"For example, it is his habit to address a room of colleagues as 'Ladies and Gentlemen'. When he says this there are no male colleagues around."

Ms Tsarsitalidis, who said she was open in the workplace about her sexuality, told the Herald Sun she was neither homosexual nor heterosexual, but that her sexuality was "alternative".

~

Holmes County clerk files 7 lawsuits against gay marriages
By MIKE BRANOM
Associated Press Writer

ORLANDO, Fla. - A Panhandle county clerk, backed by a religious rights organization, filed seven lawsuits across Florida Thursday, asking the courts to uphold the constitutionality of state laws limiting a marriage to a man and woman.

Appeals court sides with lesbian mother, overturns custody ruling
JIM SUHR
Associated Press

ST. LOUIS - A Missouri appeals court has tossed out a judge's ruling that limited a mother's overnight visitation with her daughter to when the woman wasn't sleeping with her lesbian partner, saying there's no proof such a condition was best for the child.

Tuesday's ruling by a Missouri Court of Appeals panel ordered the case reheard by a Franklin County judge, declaring there was no evidence at trial that Rachel Dickens' lesbian cohabitation endangered the health or impaired the emotional development of the child, now 6.

"The record before us does not support such an implicit finding," Judge Booker T. Shaw wrote for the three-judge appeals panel.

LESBIANS HOLD FIRST HIGHLAND 'WEDDING'

TWO women have 'married' in what is believed to be the first lesbian wedding ceremony in the Highlands.

A Church of Scotland minister blessed the happy couple at the open-air service, which was held at the Ness Islands beauty spot in Inverness.

The two 32-year-olds, who were best friends when they attended Inverness High School, agreed to go public yesterday on their love for each other.

Bank of Scotland manager Karen Sloan and community carer Jacqui Clark, tied the knot in the presence of bridesmaids - including Karen's two daughters from a previous marriage.

~

Website Mobilizes College Students in Support of Gay Marriage
Two Stanford University students have launched http://www.forgaymarriage.org, a website aimed at getting college students educated and involved in the battle for same-sex marriage.

STANFORD, CA (PRWEB) August 5, 2004 -- In response to the recent flurry of activity surrounding same-sex marriage, two Stanford University students launched ForGayMarriage.org (http://www.forgaymarriage.org) last week, a website aimed at mobilizing college students to fight for gay marriage by giving students simple ways to become politically involved in equal rights.

“Thousands of college students across America have not found a way to rally together in support of same-sex marriage,” co-founder Sam Altman said. “Our site endeavors to mobilize this untapped resource by educating visitors and giving them simple but effective methods for taking action.”

The site allows anyone to educate themselves, their political leaders, and those around them about the issue. Visitors are informed by “Talking Points,” arguments crafted to convince people of different political persuasions that gay marriage should be allowed. Visitors can then spread this information by sending a pre-written letter to their government representatives. The most innovative feature of the site, however, is that visitors can connect with other members in their area to work on several projects that get their communities involved.

“It’s this last step that sets ForGayMarriage.org apart from other gay marriage sites,” co-founder Vincent Intersimone said. “You can create a group in your local area, which then allows you to create an easy-to-set-up web page and an email list you can use to inform your group about action campaigns. These campaigns have straightforward instructions and take only a few hours to complete, but they get college students throughout the country to set up gay marriage debates, information stations, and letter writing campaigns … mobilizing their communities through grass-roots efforts.”

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NYC activists call for a day of civil disobedience
'The Streets Belong to Us'
by Sarah Ferguson

group of about 20 New York City activists today announced their plans for roiling the Republican convention this month.

Standing in the vestibule of St. Marks Church on the Bowery—a landmark parish that has long been a haven for political dissent—they called for a day of coordinated, nonviolent civil disobedience and direct action on August 31, or A31 in activist parlance.

"Two days before the Republicans renominate George Bush, we will turn the streets of New York City into stages of resistance and forums of debate," Tim Doody, a 30-year-old English tutor at Long Island University, told a bevy of news cameras, adding, "We will not be asking for permits to create these free-speech zones."

Starting early in the morning, Doody said, autonomous groups will target GOP events such as Bank of America's 9:30 a.m. finance roundtable at Tavern on the Green in Central Park. At 4 p.m., a wave of actions will swarm the midtown offices of multinational "war profiteers" such as the Carlyle Group, Chevron, the Rand Corporation, and Hummer of Manhattan.

~

Judge says plaintiffs know what making commitment means
By Seattle Times staff
KEN LAMBERT / THE SEATTLE TIMES

In a ruling that gay couples can marry under Washington state law, King County Superior Court Judge William Downing described the 16 plaintiffs as the kind of people "any of us should be proud to call a friend or neighbor or to sit with at small desks on back-to-school night."

Downing wrote: "(Their) lives reflect hard work, professional achievement, religious faith and the willingness to stand up for their beliefs. They are law-abiding, taxpaying model citizens. They include exemplary parents, adoptive parents, foster parents and grandparents.

"They know what it means to make a commitment and to honor it."

Here's a look at the eight couples who filed suit against King County. They want either to be married or to have their marriages recognized by Washington state:

Man fined for "gay haircut" attack
Ben Townley, Gay.com UK

A man has been told to pay compensation by a Blackburn court, after he attacked another man for having a "gay haircut".

Ryan Hammond must pay £450 to Damien Cassidy, after he attacked him at a petrol station.

In what the prosecuting team claimed was an "unprovoked attack", Hammond shouted abuse at Cassidy for having the hairstyle, claiming it was "gay".

After receiving no response other than a request to "leave it out", Hammond smashed the window in Cassidy's car, punched his victim and grabbed him by the jaw.

~

Anti-gay group threatens disruption for Belfast Pride
Ben Townley, Gay.com UK

A sinister group claiming to be a "Christian coalition" has pledged to disrupt this weekend's Pride march in Belfast, and set up a website that accuses lesbian and gay people of being "perverted".

Additionally, the Stop the Parade (STP) organisation has accused gay people of using the Pride parades to "recruit" children.

In a statement released today, the group threatens to hold a "vociferous protest" against the Pride celebrations, attacking the "scandalous" decision to allow the march to take place.

They also warn that their demonstration will not be the last to be held across the country.

~

Oz Opposition Party Agrees To Gay Marriage Ban
(Sydney) The Australian Labor Party has agreed to support government legislation that would ban gay marriage and prevent the government from recognizing same-sex marriages from abroad.

The agreement is an about face for Labor which has a history of moderately supporting LGBT issues. Equal Rights Network spokesperson Rodney Croome accused Labor of a backflip and of trying to "wipe gay marriage off the electoral agenda".

The Liberal government of Prime Minister John Howard wants to have the law passed within two weeks, clearing the way for an expected September 18 election.

With Labor's support the bill is insured passage and erased as an issue in the campaign. But, it will also derail a Senate bid to hold hearings on the legislation. The small Australian Democratic party had been using the hearings to stall the bill until the end of the session so it would die.

Democrats' justice critic Brian Greig, who is openly gay, accused Labor of scuttling the Senate inquiry "in a panicked electoral decision to remove this decision from the federal election campaign".

~

Focus Turns To Louisiana
(Baton Rouge, Louisiana) Following Tuesday's passage in Missouri of an amendment to the state constitution to ban same-sex marriage the focus has shifted to Louisiana which will vote on a similar amendment on 18 September.

Louisiana and 37 other states already have laws that define marriage as solely between a man and a woman but supporters of the Louisiana amendment say the state's DOMA could be overturned by judges.

National LGBT civil rights groups huddled in morning meetings to conduct a post mortem on the Missouri campaign to avoid similar mistakes in Louisiana.

"We need to find out why so many more people than expected turned out to vote," Seth Kilbourn, the National Field Director for the Human Rights Campaign told 365Gay.com. "Was it because of the amendment or because of the primary for governor?"

The amendment passed by more than 70 percent in the conservative state.

~

Gay couples flock to Richmond
By Ross Lydall, Evening Standard Local Government Correspondent

Richmond has become the gay capital of of the South-East.

A handful of councils in London hold services to allow gay people to cement their relationship in public, watched by friends and family.

But Richmond is unique in also having a "registered partnership register" - an official document verifying a couple's love for one another.

As a result, couples are travelling to the borough from across London and the South-East as they await government proposals on equal rights for gays to become law.

~

Fears rise over two killings in 15 months
By Peter Kononczuk
Staff Writer, The Prague Post

The killing of a gay American has caused shock in Prague's expatriate community, with some warning that after a string of deaths, the city is becoming increasingly dangerous for those who purchase sex.

At the Pinocchio bar in Prague 3, a popular spot for picking up male prostitutes, young men with bleached-blond hair, white T-shirts and flawless tans greet middle-aged customers.

Under the ultraviolet lights, clients and their companions drink beer, chat and swap jokes. But others are more somber. Much of the talk in the bar, which advertises itself as "the biggest gay center in Prague," has been revolving around the death of one of its regulars.

Police are unwilling to release full details but the man's friends identified him as Roy Breimon, a 54-year-old artist from Washington, D.C., who had lived in the Czech capital for about five years

National Gay and Lesbian Task Force Hails Washington State Court Opinion
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

National Gay and Lesbian Task Force Hails Washington State Court Opinion

Court Strikes Down State Defense of Marriage Act as Unconstitutional

SEATTLE - In an historic decision, a Washington superior court ruled today that prohibiting same-sex couples from marrying violates the Washington state constitution.

The ruling strikes down as unconstitutional the state's Defense of Marriage Act, which defines marriage as a union between one man and one woman. The law was enacted by state lawmakers in 1998 over the veto of then Governor Gary Locke. The court today held that the Washington State Constitution requires same-sex couples have access to marriage, and that the 1998 law violates that guarantee. Like the Massachusetts high court opinion last February, the Washington court held that lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) Washingtonians are constitutionally entitled to full marriage equality.

Lambda Legal and the Northwest Women's Law Center initiated the lawsuit four months ago on behalf of same-sex couples who were denied marriage licenses in King's County. Six state legislators, a wide variety of religious organizations and several civil rights groups filed friend-of-the-court briefs supporting the right of same-sex couples to marry in Washington. The case is the first of its kind in Washington since the Massachusetts high court ruled that same-sex couples are entitled to full marriage under the Massachusetts state constitution. The case is unlike the Massachusetts case, however, in that same-sex couples in Massachusetts did not face an explicit state statutory ban on same-sex marriage.

Attorneys for the state are expected to appeal ruling to the state Supreme Court which is expected to hear arguments on an expedited basis.

Statement of Matt Foreman, National Gay and Lesbian Task Force Executive Director:

"Today's ruling reaffirms the important role that an independent judiciary plays in American democracy. It is a decision like this that underscores the purpose of courts and constitutions as the ultimate safeguard of minority rights against the tyranny of the majority. We know that this ruling will fan the flames of anti-gay rhetoric, revitalize claims of 'judicial activism' and spur ongoing campaigns to amend over a dozen state constitutions as well as the federal constitution to enshrine lesbian and gay people as second class citizens for generations to come. We salute the court's courage and integrity in carrying out its judicial duty and we vow to expose any backlash for the mean-spirited, un-American, election-year political ploy that it is.

As always, we applaud Lambda Legal, Northwest Women's Law Center and others working in Washington for their extraordinary work."

~

Silent Power, Loud Wallets
By Thomas Schaller, Gadflyer. Posted August 4, 2004.
The gay community is using its deep pockets for 2004 instead of an electoral roar.

You may have noticed the almost complete absence of any talk about gay, lesbian, bi-sexual and transgendered (GLBT) issues last week in Boston at the Democratic National Convention – a virtual silence that, in a year during which the incumbent president proposed a constitutional amendment to ban gay marriage, seems puzzling if not shocking.

Don't be fooled by the apparent silence, however, because in fact the gay lobby within the Democratic Party is writing a key chapter in the 2004 election story. If the first draft of that chapter seems to have been strategically embargoed from public view, well, that's because the GLBT coalition appears content to exercise its power this year quietly, offstage and with little fanfare.

Meanwhile, where political and electoral power speaks loudest — that is, through the contribution of financial and organizational resources — the gay lobby is making plenty of noise in 2004.

"Dead zone" spreads across Gulf of Mexico

HOUSTON, Texas (Reuters) -- A huge "dead zone" of water so devoid of oxygen that sea life cannot live in it has spread across 5,800 square miles of the Gulf of Mexico this summer in what has become an annual occurrence caused by pollution.

The extensive area of uninhabitable water may be contributing indirectly to an unusual spate of shark bites along the Texas coast, experts said.

A scientist at the Louisiana Universities Marine Consortium said Tuesday measurements showed the dead zone extended from the mouth of the Mississippi River in southeastern Louisiana 250 miles west to near the Texas border and was closer to shore than usual because winds and current

Seattle Judge Rules for Gay Marriages
By MELANTHIA MITCHELL
Associated Press Writer

SEATTLE -- Gay couples can be married under Washington state law, because denying their right to do so is a violation of their constitutional rights, a judge ruled Wednesday.

"The denial to the plaintiffs of the right to marry constitutes a denial of substantive due process," King County Superior Court Judge William L. Downing said in his ruling.

His decision is stayed until the state Supreme Court reviews the case, meaning no marriage licenses can be issued until then, said Jennifer Pizer, lead counsel in the case for Lambda Legal Defense in the case.

"Judge Downing saw the couples in the courtroom and he's recognized that they are full and equal citizens of Washington. No more and no less," Pizer said

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Equality California: Couple help launch chapter working for same-sex marriage
By MARK HEDGES/The Daily Journal

Right now there's a war going on, but those most involved in it say it's a war about love.

The battleground of this struggle recently surfaced in the Bay Area, with the controversial decision of San Francisco's new mayor, Gavin Newsom, to allow marriage licenses to be issued to same-sex couples.

The decision triggered a shockwave throughout the Gay/Lesbian/Transgender/Bisexual community far beyond the fringe of the Bay Area.

Mendocino County had its share of couples -- self-titled "love warriors" -- making the march to get married in San Francisco, including Willits residents Theresa and Jennifer SookneMizell, who were married on Feb. 19.

~

ACLU to monitor training that promotes gay tolerance
Associated Press

SUMMIT, Ky. - A civil rights advocacy group is monitoring an eastern Kentucky school system to see if students are getting anti-harrassment training.

The American Civil Liberties Union wants to ensure students at Boyd County middle and high schools are getting mandatory training under the terms of a court order, said Chris Hampton, spokeswoman for the ACLU's Lesbian and Gay Rights Project.

The order was part of a February settlement of a lawsuit against the district by a gay-awareness club at Boyd County High School.

Some parents have said they will take their children out of school on the day of the training.

~

a conservative slant.. but some good information

Homosexuals Debate What to Do About Transsexuals
By Susan Jones
CNSNews.com Morning Editor

(CNSNews.com) - Transgender advocacy groups plan to demonstrate outside the Washington headquarters the Human Rights Campaign, a major homosexual advocacy organization, on Saturday.

The "Unity Rally for Transgender Rights" will protest the Human Rights Campaign's "dubious efforts on behalf of transgender inclusion in federal legislation."

Transsexual Menace, the rally organizer, said members of groups such as the National Transgender Advocacy Coalition, Pride at Work, and Parents, Friends & Families of Lesbians & Gays will take part in the transgender-rights rally.

The demonstration will take place on Saturday, Aug. 7, when the HRC board convenes to discuss a contentious issue: whether to include transgenders in federal legislation it is pushing.

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20pc of gays threatened in past year

One out of every five gay people in the Netherlands has been confronted in the past 12 months with anti-gay threats, research by the Gay Krant has indicated. Aggression against gay people predominantly occurs in Amsterdam, Rotterdam, Utrecht and the east of the country. Gays in The Hague and the north of the country are safe from threats. The research was conducted by Out Now Consulting on behalf of the Gay Krant (Gay Newspaper). Verbal threats were the most common complaint.

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Racist, anti-gay epithets spray-painted in Elk Grove
By Gabriel Baird -- Bee Staff Writer

Residents of an eastern Elk Grove neighborhood awoke Tuesday to homophobic and racist epithets spray-painted on their cars, garage doors and houses.

Vandals defaced the property of at least 25 victims. By the end of the day, police still did not have a breakdown of all that was damaged. Officials say at least 30 homes and vehicles were targeted.

The discriminatory graffiti - including swastikas and the letters "KKK," sprayed primarily in silver - appeared heaviest on Winding River Way, around the corner from a school, where one of the hardest-hit residences belongs to Mila Cruz.

Cruz, who moved last summer to the neighborhood where the price of houses hovers around $500,000, was so disturbed Tuesday she wanted to move back to San Jose.

what the fucks going on:

-states vote to limit rights

- hate crimes are on the rise

-trans folks risk illegal injection of silicon to fit in

-being queer gets one assaulted or murdered

-sodomy and gay insults are used as torture

-woman are raped in the sudan as a form a genocide and nothing is done

. . . . . .have we forgotten our humanity, or is this what its comes to; a homogenous heterosexual binary

. . ... when will we stand togather and embrace the diversity and protect it from slowly being murdered off inch-by-inch, name-by-name, one body at a time

.......when will we take a stand against the violence done in the name of religion.

... a history of planets, animals, cultures, people and sexual and gender diversity is being wiped from the face of the globe in the name of what?... when will we stand up and face our own death to stop this......!!!!

please call you government representatives and stop ENDA, get involved, stop hate, stop the destruction of the earth... if our life is not worth stopping this destruction and hate.. what is a life worth...?

kari

~~*************~**********~~

Final Push Underway to Pass Equal Rights Legislation

SACRAMENTO - August 3 - The California Legislature will be considering a record number of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) civil rights bills and resolutions in the next four weeks. The legislation under consideration ranges in subject from employment protections and insurance equality to hate crimes and same-sex relationships.

"We are confident that the entire group of bills will pass and optimistic that the Governor Schwarzenegger will sign all of them," said Equality California Executive Director Geoffrey Kors. "Our coalition in support of equality has grown stronger as a result of President Bush's attacks on LGBT families. LGBT and non-LGBT organizations have joined together in support of a simple principle: equal rights for all Californians."

Equality California currently has five pieces of pro-LGBT legislation near final passage in the state legislature. All of the legislation has received broad legislative and community support.

"The challenge in the next month is to make sure that the Governor knows how much our community and our allies support these bills," said Steve Hansen, EQCA Legislative Advocate. "We are hopeful that when these bills reach Governor Schwarzenegger that he will sign them, which advances the goal of equality under the law for LGBT Californians and their families."

~

Galz members beaten up, chased from Zimbabwe book fair
by STAFF EDITORS

MEMBERS of the Gays and Lesbians’ Association of Zimbabwe (Galz) exhibiting at this year’s Zimbabwe International Book Fair (ZIBF) were on Monday evening beaten up by a mob riled by their presence. The ZIBF allowed Galz to participate at this year’s event after the High Court ruled that the association had the right to exhibit.

But violent protesters opposed to homosexuality attacked the members manning their stand and chased them.

Galz’s participation had, as in previous years, stirred much controversy.

Exhibitors at nearby stands who witnessed the assault said a group of people charged towards three Galz members accusing of being inhuman.

~

Gays in Pakistan Risk Harsh Islamic Retribution
Day to Day audio

Homosexuality is severely punished in many Islamic countries, with penalties including everything from public whipping to execution. Miranda Kennedy reports from Pakistan that an extensive gay subculture that has developed there, despite the threat of disgrace and death.

~

Woman charged with administering silicone injections
Associated Press

Gwinnett County police have arrested a woman on charges that she administered silicone injections to transvestites desperate to look more feminine.

District Attorney Danny Porter said 45-year-old Verna Deloris Barnett of Norcross was what he calls the "preferred provider" throughout the Southeast of silicone injections for men who were living as women. He says her services cost about $1,200 compared to a plastic surgeon's charge of $3,000 or more.

State sues Calais student over alleged gay attack
Maine Civil Rights Act invoked for March incident

CALAIS - The state attorney general sued a Calais High School student Tuesday, alleging that he attacked a fellow student rumored to be gay. Attorney General Steven Rowe announced that his office had filed a civil enforcement action in Washington County Superior Court under the state Civil Rights Act against the male student, who was not identified.

The suit alleges that on March 8, the male pushed, punched and head-butted the victim.

"The defendant stated multiple times starting in early March of this year that he intended to fight the victim after hearing rumors that the victim was gay," Rowe said in a news release. "The defendant challenged the victim to meet him in the school weight room to fight. When the victim did not show up, the defendant sought him out in the cafeteria and committed the violent assault."

Regina Taylor, chairman of the Calais school committee, said Tuesday she had been unaware of the incident, but noted that the school has zero tolerance involving such matters. "We have a civil rights team that consists of administrators, teachers and students to handle matters such as these," she said.

~

Wording leaves details to courts
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Gay-marriage amendment
By Carrie Spencer
The Associated Press

COLUMBUS - Backers of a proposed constitutional amendment denying legal status to unmarried couples say it's needed to protect Ohio's 2-month-old gay marriage ban from a court challenge.

But lawyers, including the state representative who wrote that law, say the amendment is so unclear that it would lead to years of court battles if it gets in the Ohio Constitution.

The Ohio Campaign to Protect Marriage submitted 391,794 signatures on Tuesday to Secretary of State Ken Blackwell's office. Almost 323,000 need to be certified to get on the November ballot.

~

Gay marriage fight begins at PSU
Coalition of groups forms to defeat proposed amendment to state constitution
Elisabeth Meyer

The campaign to fight for same-sex marriage rights in Oregon started with an event in the Multicultural Center Tuesday afternoon.

The "No on Constitutional Amendment 36" Coalition, which sponsored the rally, is comprised of many groups, including Basic Rights Oregon, Planned Parenthood of the Columbia Willamette, Oregon Action and the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU).

Constitutional Amendment 36 proposes adding to the state constitution a restriction of marriage rights to only heterosexual couples. It would nullify the marriages of the more than 3,000 homosexual couples that were issued licenses by Multnomah County this past spring.

Oregon has a historical precedent of defeating other anti-gay measures in the past decade, such as Measure 9 in 2000. Measure 9 would have taken funding from public bodies such as schools and prisons for endorsing, or educating about, homosexuality. It was narrowly defeated.

~

APD charges University student with hate crime
Senior, 2 others allegedly beat, robbed gay man
By Clint Johnson

Austin Police Department detectives charged a University student and a former student with hate crimes Tuesday in connection with the alleged mid-July beating and robbery of a gay man. The two are charged with aggravated sexual assault and aggravated robbery with a deadly weapon, both first-degree felonies, said APD Detective Julie Jacobs, who investigated the case.

She said the allegations stem from a July 17 incident in which Darren Gay, a 21-year-old biochemistry senior, and Donald Bockman, a 24-year-old former psychology senior, along with two other men, allegedly beat and robbed the 32-year-old victim at his home on Wickersham Lane.

Jacobs said the suspects met the victim at Oilcan Harry's, a gay bar in Austin's Warehouse District, and accompanied him back to his home at about 2 a.m.

Once there, the four men allegedly forced the victim to sodomize himself with an object at knifepoint while they used homosexual slurs and denounced gay marriage. She also said the men made references to Old Testament verses dealing with homosexuality while they beat the victim with their fists. About two hours later, she said, the suspects robbed the man and left his home. She said the victim suffered minor cuts from the knife but was not stabbed.

~

Gay & Lesbian Advocacy Group Launches Campaign In African American Newspapers

The National Black Justice Campaign (NBJC) announced today that it has begun an historic national advertising campaign in the African American press. This campaign marks the first time an African American gay and lesbian advocacy organization has ever launched a pro-equality ad campaign in African American newspapers.

NBJC's advertisements urge African Americans to reject injustice and discrimination and to oppose conservative attempts to tamper with state constitutions and the Constitution. The ads feature pro-marriage equality statements from Coretta Scott King, Rep. John Lewis and the Hon. Willie Brown. The first round of NBJC's ad campaign will reach 500,000 African- Americans in the following markets and newspapers: Los Angeles (Sentinel, Wave), Baltimore/Washington D.C. (Informer, Afro-American), Atlanta (Voice, Daily World and Inquirer) and Detroit (Michigan Chronicle).

"African Americans oppose discrimination in all its forms," said H. Alexander Robinson, strategic director of the National Black Justice Coalition. "This campaign is about warning our brothers and sisters about the way George W. Bush and his radical conservative allies are seeking to divide us."

"We will not stand idly by and allow discrimination to be written into the Constitution of the United States or the constitutions of any state in America," said Mandy Carter, an NBJC board member and chair of its Grassroots Mobilization Committee. "We call on all advocates for fairness to reject injustice and discrimination and to oppose conservative attempts to enshrine their prejudice."

~

Bush courts Catholic voters, who could play a big role in November
By Ron Hutcheson
Knight Ridder Newspapers

DALLAS -- President Bush reached out to Roman Catholic voters on Tuesday, telling a convention of Catholic activists that he considers them vital allies in his efforts to support religious charities, defend traditional marriage and promote a "culture of life" in America.

"You have a friend in this administration. You have somebody who wants to work with you to change America for the better," Bush told about 2,500 cheering delegates and family members at a Knights of Columbus convention.

Anti-gay preacher arrested after loudspeaker stunt
Ben Townley, Gay.com UK

A man who drove through the city of Salisbury claiming through a megaphone that lesbians and gays were going against God's will, has been arrested after local people complained.

John Holme was using the loudspeaker to warn people in the Wiltshire city that "homosexuality is an abomination" and that they would be punished by God should they continue with their "perversion".

~

Australia mulls ban on gay marriage

SYDNEY - A ban on same-sex marriages could pass through Australia’s parliament by the end of the year, Prime Minister John Howard said on Wednesday.

The opposition Labor Party has endorsed the ban and would vote for it when it came before parliament. “I think it would be a great pity if this issue were left hanging in an election campaign,” Howard said.

Shadow attorney-general Nicola Roxon said Labor had not been swayed by calls from gay lobby groups not to legislate on the issue.
Khaleej Times Online

“Labor’s position about gay marriage is clear and unequivocal and from the Prime Minister’s statements today it sounds like the major parties will be voting for this bill sometime in the next fortnight,” Roxon said.

~

Third time lucky for Howard on gay wedge?
By Polly Bush

Webdiary columnist Polly Bush is our expert on Howard's gay marraige/gay adoption wedge play. Her previous pieces on the saga include Another Let's-Attack-A-Minority-Group-Wheel of Fortune, by John Howard and Keeping it queer.

When the Prime Minister today announced yet another attempt at amending the Marriage Act to exclude gay couples, it was fitting for the PM to it at a conference for the National Marriage Coalition, a group set up by the Australian Family Association, the Australian Christian Lobby and the Fatherhood Foundation.

Whenever there’s a contentious issue involving gay and lesbian Australians (or a not so contentious issue like Playschool’s two mums reference) the media love to run to the Australian Family Association’s Bill Muehlenberg for a good gay bashing quote. It’s extraordinarily predictable.

This new amendment, to be introduced in the next fortnight in parliament, will be a third time lucky attempt by the Government to ensure this issue gets a good run in time for the election. It will also again test the ALP’s position.

http://www.TheTaskForce.org

Tuesday, August 3, 2004
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Missouri Voters Amend their State Constitution to Add Discrimination
"Fundamental Human Rights Should Never be up for Popular Vote"

Washington, DC. August 3, 10:30pm ET. Tonight, early returns indicate that voters in Missouri have approved by a margin of approximately 65% to 35% an amendment to their state constitution which prohibits the recognition of same sex marriages. The campaign against the amendment was waged by Constitutional Defense League, which raised $450,000 in just two and one-half months, airing television ads and fielding scores of volunteers across the state. Other progressive groups in Missouri, including the ACLU of Missouri and Planned Parenthood, also fought against the measure. The state's major papers - St. Louis Post, St. Louis Business Journal, Kansas City Star, Columbia Missourian, and Springfield News Leader -and the mayors of St. Louis and Kansas City all opposed the amendment. The National Gay and Lesbian Task Force conducted field training in St. Louis in May, and contributed $25,500 to fight the amendment. The Human Rights Campaign also made significant contributions and provided four field staff to the campaign.

Statement by Matt Foreman, Executive Director

"While we are saddened by the vote, we are not surprised. Fundamental human rights should never be up for popular vote. Our founding fathers recognized this reality and enshrined our basic freedoms in the United States Constitution. Missouri's own past highlights the enduring value of the federal Constitution: until overturned by various United States Supreme Court decisions, Missouri law prohibited interracial marriage, criminalized abortion, and supported segregated schools.

Every gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender American owes a debt of gratitude to The Constitutional Defense League and its campaign manager Doug Gray for waging the largest campaign that our community has ever had in Missouri. Because of their work, newspapers across the state and hundreds of clergy came out in opposition to the amendment. Moreover, they accomplished so much with limited resources and in the face of a campaign marked by lies, distortions, fear-mongering, and threats of violence.

The good news is that more then one third of Missouri voters rejected this mean-spirited, un-American attack. Moreover, today's vote means that for every vote cast by a gay Missourian, another 6 non- gay people stood up for us. That is the truly inspiring story in this vote. (According to exit polls conducted over many years, approximately 5% of voters identify as gay, lesbian or bisexual.)

It is important for all gay Americans -- especially our heroes in Missouri and all of our people who are right now fighting similar, ugly measures across the country -- to recognize that a primary goal of the right in launching these attacks is to demoralize, drain, and fracture our communities.

We -- not the forces of intolerance -- must define victory. We win when our community builds its infrastructure, educates thousands of voters about our rights, comes out stronger, and is ready to fight harder and better. That is certainly the situation in Missouri and we urge all gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender Missourians and our allies to give their wholehearted support to PROMO (Personal Rights of Missourians), Missouri's statewide LGBT civil rights organization, which will carry the fight into the future.

The fight goes on. We know it and they know it: we are on the right and winning side of history and ultimately we will prevail."

**************************************************************

Tuesday, August 3, 2004

ENDA as We've Known It Must Die
Matt Foreman, Executive Director
National Gay and Lesbian Task Force

For many years, our community has debated the place of transgender people in the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA). The time for debate is over. The question must be called. ENDA must be amended to protect transgender people. If it is not, we all must walk away from it.

I would completely understand someone saying that it's the height of hypocrisy for me to be saying this. After all, I was Executive Director of the Empire State Pride Agenda when New York enacted the Sexual Orientation Non Discrimination Act (SONDA), which extended broad non-discrimination protections to gay, lesbian and bisexual - out not transgender - New Yorkers. All I can say is that hindsight is 20/20. I made mistakes in New York and that painful experience seared into my mind and heart three lessons that I think are directly applicable to ENDA.

The first lesson is not to accept what legislators have to say on this subject, which is invariably that trans-inclusion will kill legislation. In New York, the leaders of each house of the legislature exercise absolute control over everything (and I do mean everything). For years, we asked the leadership of the Democrat-controlled Assembly to add "gender identity and expression" to SONDA and every time the answer was a very curt "No." On the side, we'd be told that "Look, let's be honest. It took this long to get members OK with you (gay) people, but this transgender thing? No way." (A lot of what we were told was far worse than this, but being an insider organization we could never go public with those comments. That's the way it works.)

We accepted that answer because we thought we had to. We thought that making a stink about this would derail other legislative priorities - like enacting a hate crimes bill, making sure a DOMA never saw the light of day, and winning significant appropriations for LGBT health and human service programs.

In hindsight, my judgment was wrong. Ultimately - and often reluctantly - legislators do have to respond to the pressure of constituencies they support. Ultimately, a constituency has the right to decide what kind of legislation is advanced on its behalf. I believe now that if we had insisted on trans-inclusion years back, it would have happened, maybe not immediately, but it would have happened. Part of my resistance was a belief that we could only get so much, and that pushing for too much would have jeopardized everything else. As we went along, I began to realize the more you ask for the more you get, and the harder you push,
the quicker it comes.

Working at the Task Force, I've already witnessed dozens of situations at the state and local level where legislators have initially said no to trans-inclusion. Our community, united, has said no way. And guess what? In almost every instance, legislators have backed down and the bills have moved forward with trans-inclusion never an issue.

It feels like ENDA is caught in a similar situation. ENDA's Congressional sponsors, including our champion Barney Frank, believe that trans-inclusion will cripple ENDA's chances and that it will cost the support of some co-sponsors. (I have no doubt Barney and our community's insider lobbyists are hearing the same kind of egregious transphobic statements from members of Congress that we heard from legislators in Albany.) Our side probably feels like we have no choice and can't risk angering key allies by demanding trans-inclusion, particularly since we have had to lean on House and Senate members to vote against anti-marriage legislation and other attacks.

I do think our community has options. For one, we should make sure that our legislative allies are the ones with no choice - a trans-inclusive bill is the only bill acceptable. Period. Years of friendly persuasion

For the first time, transsexuals may compete in the Games

The modern Olympic games have long included competitors of all races, nationalities, and gender -- but for the first time, transsexuals will officially be allowed to compete this month. Although no transsexual athletes are anticipated at this year's games, the rules may trickle down to the local and regional level, affecting athletes such as Australian golfer Mianne Bagger, a former man who has struggled to enter international women's golf competitions.
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The new rule is an extension of an effort to protect athletes who are "unassailably women," but could have chromosomal variation that puts their gender in question, said Myron Genel of Yale University, who served on the advisory committee to the International Olympic Committee's medical commission.

In 2000, a required chromosome test for women was discontinued. But the commission has expanded the definition of "female" further, with a decision that transsexuals do not have an advantage beyond that of a tall woman, as long as they have undergone corrective surgery to their genitals and have been on a documented hormone regimen for two years.

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other then the last paragraph, and a leaning towards nature vs. nurture without any exploration of the social and gender diversity.. this is a good read on Bruce Reimer.. the boy raised as a girl, and the abuse of power by John Money. this writer just wants to prove nature as the only signifying quality of gender. but that does not explain gender diversity throughout the world and time...

Told To Act Like A Girl
By Carey Roberts

The death certificate listed suicide as the official cause of death. But the real cause of his demise was a controversial gender experiment lead by one of the most influential sex researchers of the 20th century.

Bruce Reimer was born in 1965 to a blue-collar family in Winnipeg, Canada. Eight months later, he was victimized by a botched circumcision, and baby Bruce ended up without his sex organ.

The distraught family eventually contacted John Money, a charismatic psychologist at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore. Dr. Money was a leading advocate of the idea that sex-role identification is determined by one's environment, not one's genetic make-up.

Money recommended sex re-assignment surgery, a dubious procedure that had never been performed on a boy born with normal genitalia. Bruce would be given a vagina, his name would be changed to Brenda, and he would be raised as a girl. It would be as easy as that.

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Sexual orientation no reason to violate rights,
Sexual orientation no reason to violate rights, WARC delegates told
by Noel Bruyns
Ecumenical News International

ACCRA, Ghana - Members of the World Alliance of Reformed Churches have different views on homosexuality but Christians can agree that it is wrong to violate human rights because of sexual orientation, WARC general secretary Setri Nyomi told delegates at the alliance's general council meeting in Accra.

He said that the alliance's executive committee had engaged in a study of where member churches stood, after the issue of the rights of gays and lesbians had been raised at the 1997 general council, the last worldwide assembly which took place in Hungary.

"While it is clear they have a variety of views on gays and lesbians, the executive committee came to the conclusion that we can together as Christians at least agree on the fact that it is wrong to violate the human rights of anybody for any reason - including sexual orientation," Nyomi said

transdada

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