Anti-gay Policies Blasted
Rosanna Ruiz
Houston Chronicle


"The Rev. Carolyn J. Mobley and her partner, Adrain Bowie, say they consider themselves "thrice blessed" as black, gay women.

Not everyone they encounter shares the sentiment.

"Those who don't want to acknowledge the whole of me, God bless them," Bowie said Wednesday. "They've missed out on the blessing of me."

Black same-sex couples such as Bowie and Mobley would be disproportionately harmed by anti-gay marriage policies, says a report released Wednesday by the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force Institute and the National Black Justice Coalition."


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Lesbian Couple's 'Marriage' under Investigation
By Nick Foley, PA News

A lesbian couple who tied the knot after convincing register office staff that one of them was a man were today facing an official investigation.

Susan Abberstein, 47, married her lover Lucy Kong, 37, in 1986 after she transformed herself into a man – complete with moustache and muscles.

As part of the elaborate fraud she even changed her name by deed poll to Samuel, wore men’s clothes and took male hormones, according to The Sun newspaper.

No-one suspected a thing when they married at an official ceremony at Hull Register Office and the couple cemented their relationship six years later with a baby born through IVF treatment


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DNC Unveils New GLBT College Outreach Plan
Largest Outreach to GLBT College Students In History of Presidential Politics


Washington, DC – Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and Transgender (GLBT) students from over 70 colleges across America are joining forces with the Democratic National Committee next week as part of a brand-new outreach program targeting GLBT college students during National Coming Out Day. Former Major League Baseball player Billy Bean, Karamo Brown of MTV's The Real World, Democratic Activist and American Candidate Chrissy Gephardt, and Wayne Ting, GLBT Caucus Chair of the College Democrats of America, hosted a press conference this afternoon to roll out the historic program.

GPAC Applauds Defeat of Same-Sex Marriage Amendment
Condemns Gender Stereotypes Utilized by Some Far Right Lawmakers


WASHINGTON - The Gender Public Advocacy Coalition (GenderPAC) applauded the U.S. House of Representatives today for rejecting a constitutional amendment banning gay marriage. The 227-186 vote was decisive, falling far short of the two-thirds majority needed to move the amendment to the next stage. A similar amendment failed in the Senate in July.

Said GenderPAC Executive Director Riki Wilchins, "The far right's opposition to same-gender marriage is rooted in their extreme agenda of returning the nation to the Ward and June Cleaver-era. We know today that fathers can be nurturing and mothers can be strong disciplinarians -- in sharp contrast to the old stereotypes. What children need are loving homes and strong values. We are elated that Congress rejected this discriminatory Constitutional amendment and, along with it, some outmoded gender-role stereotypes."

Beyond the Women's Room
Written by: Dylan Vade
Curve: Vol. 13#3


Public restrooms. Rather mundane. Not much to think about — unless one is transgendered, genderqueer, a butch woman, a feminine man, or otherwise does not subscribe to rigid gender norms. Then, going to the bathroom in public becomes a daily struggle.

When I started taking hormones and looking more ambiguously gendered, no one wanted me in “their” restroom. No matter what choice I made, I annoyed someone — and that person made sure I knew. People stared at me and told me I was in the wrong restroom. Some ran out as soon as they saw me. I was lucky that these incidents didn’t lead to violence.

Bathrooms are places of heightened gender policing. Anyone who is not obviously feminine is suspect in the women’s room; anyone who is not obviously masculine is suspect in the men’s room. To be honest, I don’t understand why only people of virtually identical genders can share a restroom area. What I do know is that people who don’t fit rigid gender norms get routinely harassed in bathrooms, and almost every gender nonconforming person I know has had difficulty finding safe bathroom access. For many, even in San Francisco, going to the bathroom is literally dangerous.

According to a San Francisco Human Rights Commission (SF-HRC) survey, experiences in gender-segregated bathrooms range from harassment to violence to getting arrested and fired. A butch woman wrote about using men’s and women’s restrooms: “Women jump out of their shoes; I get harassed by the guys.” To avoid attacks, another butch woman saves going to the restroom for certain moments, such as the most interesting parts of movies (bathrooms are emptiest then). Often, harassment leads to violence: An FTM said, “I have been slapped, pushed and dragged out by security guards.” Some people avoid public restrooms altogether. One genderqueer person wrote, “I often ‘hold’ it.” Another person keeps a bucket in his car.

Ark. Court OKs Gay Marriage Ban Vote
by 365Gay.com Newscenter Staff


(Little Rock, Arkansas) The Arkansas Supreme Court ruled Thursday that the state can ask voters to consider a constitutional amendment to ban gay marriage.

The court rejected arguments that the proposed amendment question was vague and misleading.
The ruling means the issue will go to voters on November 2.

The proposal to change Arkansas' constitution says "marriage consists only of the union of one man and one woman.'' But it does not question voters will consider does not mention that the measure would bar the state from recognizing civil unions or gay marriages performed in Massachusetts or outside the country.

TRANSGENDER 2005
April 26 - 30, 2005
Austin, Texas


Transgender 2005, the 19th Annual IFGE Conference on Sex and Gender will be held in Austin, Texas at the fabulous Red Lion hotel, right in the middle of everything (well, almost). Malls and great restaurants are in walking distance; we will feature over 50 seminars and workshops on various trans subjects; have lots of free time for networking; there will be fun events and our gala (formals please) banquet on Saturday night.

This exciting event will be hosted by the Transgender Advocates of Central Texas, the Central Texas Transgender Society, and the Alpha Tau Chapter of Tri-Ess. It is being coordinated by Lisa Sheps, a member of the IFGE Board of Directors and an Austin resident and local activist.

Day of Remembrance: November 20, 2004


The Transgender Day of Remembrance was set aside to memorialize those who were killed due to anti-transgender hatred or prejudice. The event is held in November to honor Rita Hester, whose murder on November 28th, 1998 kicked off the “Remembering Our Dead” web project and a San Francisco candlelight vigil in 1999. Rita Hester’s murder — like most anti-transgender murder cases — has yet to be solved.

Although not every person represented during the Day of Remembrance self-identified as transgendered — that is, as a transsexual, crossdresser, or otherwise gender-variant — each was a victim of violence based on bias against transgendered people.

We live in times more sensitive than ever to hatred based violence, especially since the events of September 11th. Yet even now, the deaths of those based on anti-transgender hatred or prejudice are largely ignored. Over the last decade, more than one person per month has died due to transgender-based hate or prejudice, regardless of any other factors in their lives. This trend shows no sign of abating.

The Transgender Day of Remembrance serves several purposes. It raises public awareness of hate crimes against transgendered people, an action that current media doesn’t perform. Day of Remembrance publicly mourns and honors the lives of our brothers and sisters who might otherwise be forgotten. Through the vigil, we express love and respect for our people in the face of national indifference and hatred. Day of Remembrance reminds non-transgendered people that we are their sons, daughters, parents, friends and lovers. Day of Remembrance gives our allies a chance to step forward with us and stand in vigil, memorializing those of us who’ve died by anti-transgender violence
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HRC CALLS VICE PRESIDENT CHENEY’S REMARKS ON HIV/AIDS ‘INEXCUSABLE’
‘Vice President Cheney’s ignorance about the HIV/AIDS crisis is inexcusable,’
said HRC President Cheryl Jacques.


WASHINGTON — Human Rights Campaign President Cheryl Jacques made the following statement regarding remarks made by Vice President Dick Cheney last night about the HIV/AIDS crisis in the United States.
“Vice President Cheney’s ignorance about the HIV/AIDS crisis is inexcusable,” said Jacques. “When asked about the effect this epidemic is having on Americans — especially communities of color — he said he was unaware of the problem.”

Jacques continued, “He failed the question, but he’s also failed millions of Americans at risk for or living with HIV infection. The administration has an abysmal record on the domestic epidemic, cutting funds for key prevention programs at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and failing to adequately fund health care coverage for people with HIV. Despite this failure to fund, the administration has found resources to increase funding for abstinence-until-marriage programs by millions upon millions of dollars — programs that are unproven, untested and insufficient.”

Moderator Gwen Ifill first addressed Vice President Cheney during the debate, saying, “I want to talk to you about AIDS, and not about AIDS in China or Africa, but AIDS right here in this country, where black women between the ages of 25 and 44 are 13 times more likely to die of the disease than their counterparts.”

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New booki from PFLAG-TNET

Carly: She's Still My Daddy
This 20 page booklet presents a new fiction story designed for young children. A story from a child’s point of view of his mtf TS dad, the topics include gender transition, family relationships, acceptance, and love. Written by Mary Boenke, illustrated by Dolores Dudley.

BATTLE OVER SAME-SEX MARRIAGE
Gay activists mark a grim anniversary
Brutal 1998 slaying left legacy of pain and hope in Laramie
Rona Marech, Chronicle Staff Writer


Laramie, Wyo. -- Wednesday was an emotional anniversary for Dave O'Malley. "Everything started a few hours from now, not too far from where we're standing," he said.

Six years ago, O'Malley was in charge of the detective division of the Laramie Police Department when the death of Matthew Shepard outraged the nation and inspired a wave of soul-searching about anti-gay violence.

Shepard, a 21-year-old gay student at the University of Wyoming, was lured from a bar the night of Oct. 6, 1998, by two young roofers who pretended to be gay. They tied Shepard to a wooden ranch fence, beat him unconscious and left him there. Shepard died the next week; his killers were convicted of murder.

O'Malley has gray hair, watery eyes and a quick laugh -- but he gets quiet and serious when he talks about how Shepard's death changed him.


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Judge strikes monument vote
Religion: Decision blocks Nov. 2 referendum on Ten Commandments, backers plan appeal
By Adam Rush
Idaho Press-Tribune


BOISE -- A judge dealt another setback to supporters of a Ten Commandments display at Boise's Julia Davis Park.

A coalition of religious groups had wanted voters to consider a referendum that would compel the city to place a Commandments monument in the downtown park. Backers collected thousands of signatures to secure a spot on the ballot.


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Economic boycott planned for Friday
By ABIGAIL KLINGBEIL
THE JOURNAL NEWS


Dale Duncan became a gay rights activist earlier this year, when he and his partner were watching President Bush on television.

"When the president stepped up to the microphone and said, 'We want to have a constitutional amendment banning gay marriage,' we decided we had to do something," said Duncan, a middle school music teacher who lives in Atlanta.

N.J. Supreme Court Leaves Gay Marriage With Appeals Court
by Chris Newmarker
The Associated Press


(Trenton, New Jersey)  The New Jersey Supreme Court announced today it is leaving a case involving the legality of same-sex marriages with an appeals court.

The state's highest court also directed the New Jersey Appellate Division to speed up its scheduling of an appeal in the case before a three-judge panel.

Officials at Lambda Legal, the group pushing for same-sex marriages in New Jersey, said the court's decision was disappointing for the seven gay and lesbian couples involved in the case..

"I think the state and everyone agrees that this is going to end up in the highest court," said David Buckel, director of Lambda Legal's Marriage Project. "So from our perspective, we thought it would be better to get it there sooner than later."


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Criminal Probe Into Anti-Gay Amendment Names
by 365Gay.com Newscenter Staff


(Columbus, Ohio)  A criminal investigation has begun into the way names were collected for petitions to force an anti-gay constitutional amendment onto the Ohio ballot.

After allegations that some names on the petitions were forged, the  Summit County Board of Elections turned over the petitions to Summit County Sheriff Drew Alexander.

The board said that it suspected between 20 and 30 signatures appeared to be forged.


"It affects this unbelievable democracy we enjoy and goes right to the heart of the Constitution,'' Summit County Sheriff's Inspector Keith Thornton told The Beacon Journal. "I take it really seriously.''


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Poll shows 40% of GLBT high schoolers have experienced bullying


About 5% of America's high school students identify as gay or lesbian, and nearly 40% of them report being physically harassed because of their sexual orientation, according to a new poll conducted by the Gay, Lesbian, and Straight Education Network and released exclusively to Advocate.com on Wednesday.

"The findings suggest that, on average, every classroom in America has at least one student who identifies as lesbian or gay and that a majority of those students know at least one gay or lesbian person, whether it be a teacher, a classmate, or a family member," noted GLSEN executive director Kevin Jennings.

The national poll asked questions of 9th- to 12th-grade students across the country about sexual orientation, name-calling, and general attitudes toward lesbian and gay people in schools. The group said the findings are important because they underscore the widespread problems that arise when students use antigay language, name-calling, bullying, and harassment in America's schools.

"The research demonstrates a disturbing gap between how LGBT and straight students perceive and are affected by the pervasive language," the group determined. "It is probably shocking to many adults how many of their children are using offensive homophobic language day in and day out in our nation's high schools," said Marty McGough, director for Widmeyer Research and Polling. "What the research also gives us is an indication of the large population of LGBT students who have to listen to it."


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Voinovich, DeWine reject amendment to ban gay unions
By JAMES DREW
BLADE COLUMBUS BUREAU CHIEF


COLUMBUS - Saying they oppose same-sex marriage but believe the wording of a ballot issue is unclear, Ohio's two Republican U.S. Senators said yesterday they oppose a state constitutional amendment on the Nov. 2 ballot that would prohibit such unions.

Mike DeWine and George Voinovich believe the second sentence of Issue 1 is "vague, ambiguous, and raises a thicket of questions," their press secretaries said.

Issue 1 states: "Only a union between one man and one woman may be a marriage valid in or recognized by this state and its political subdivisions."

Aides to Senators DeWine and Voinovich said they would vote for Issue 1 if it was limited to the first sentence.


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Ottawa lambasted over same-sex case
By KIRK MAKIN
From Thursday's Globe and Mail


Ottawa — Gay-rights lawyers said the government gave every indication last year that it had embraced three provincial appellate decisions legalizing same-sex marriage, only to turn around and add a question that forced the court to rule on that very issue.

"It is improper to ask the court to revisit those decisions," said Cynthia Petersen, a lawyer for gay-rights advocacy group Egale Canada and several gay couples. She urged the judges to show their displeasure at this "abuse" of its role by ignoring the question altogether.

Ms. Petersen warned the judges that by taking the bait and "second-guessing the lower courts," it could end up causing a worse mess. "If you provide an opinion that in any way deviates from the lower-court opinions, it will not provide clarity," she said. "It will create confusion."


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Poll finds narrow support for same-sex marriage
CTV.ca News Staff


The Canadian public slightly supports the notion of gay marriage -- but they are increasingly uncomfortable calling it marriage, a new poll has found.

The Ipsos-Reid survey, conducted for CTV and the Globe and Mail, also found that if the Supreme Court ultimately finds the federal government's proposed bill to be constitutional, 52 per cent of Canadians would accept it.


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Oklahoma marriage amendment may meet same fate as Louisiana measure


Oklahoma's proposed constitutional amendment to ban same-sex marriages differs from a similar amendment that was dismissed this week by a Louisiana judge, the legislation's principal author says. Louisiana voters overwhelmingly approved an amendment to their state's constitution to ban such marriages, but Judge William Morvant on Monday ruled that it was flawed because it included more than one purpose: banning not only gay marriage but also civil unions.

Oklahoma state senator James Williamson, the principal author of the language that became State Question 711, said he doesn't think SQ 711 would ban civil unions automatically. "The ballot title indicates that it prohibits giving the benefit of marriage to people who are not married, but the actual language of the amendment itself says neither this constitution or any other provision of law shall be construed to require that marital status or the legal incidents thereof be conferred upon unmarried couples or groups," he said.


Williamson, a lawyer, said state questions regarding constitutional amendments often have many different subcategories but that the standard legal test always has been whether the question addresses one prevailing subject. "For example, during the legislative fight on the issue, Sen. Frank Shurden tried to put cockfighting on it. That would have been more than one subject," Williamson said.


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More Michigan companies offering same-sex benefits
Associated Press


DETROIT - After initially lagging behind companies in other states, a growing number of Michigan employers now are offering same-sex domestic partner benefits.

About 55 Detroit area employers - including private companies, government agencies and nonprofits - now offer same-sex benefits, up from just a handful in 1997, according to the Human Rights Campaign, a Washington-based gay advocacy group.

But the issue remains a hot topic. Michigan's Nov. 2 ballot includes a proposal that could ban gay marriage, and some workers worry its passage could lead to legal challenges to same-sex benefits at municipal employers or universities.


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Jamaican firms threaten financial block over reggae row
Ben Townley, Gay.com UK


Companies across Jamaica are threatening the reggae singers at the centre of a row over homophobic lyrics with the withdrawal of sponsorship funds, unless the artists drop their anti-gay content.

The firms involved in the threat include Cable and Wireless Jamaica, Red Stripe and Pepsi-Cola Jamaica.

The unanimous decision to block funds to those artists accused of inciting violence against gays comes after a business conference held last Friday, where companies expressed fears that their own brand names could be tainted by the violently anti-gay lyrics.

In a joint statement released today the companies involved in this new threat said that as well as withdrawing funds from anti-gay singers, they would also develop a new code that all artists sponsored by the companies must adhere to.


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Anglican church rules on gay couples
By Tim Clarke


Australia's Anglican Church has said it cannot condone church blessings for gay relationships or the ordination of homosexuals, following a debate at its General Synod.

Delegates at the synod meeting in Fremantle agreed to motions put forward by the church's hierarchy stating they did not condone liturgical blessings for same-sex couples or the ordination of people in same-sex relationships.

The meeting also agreed to back federal parliament's decree earlier this year that marriage, at law, was the exclusive union of a man and a woman.


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CMA votes to admit gay pastor
By MEILING AROUNNARATH


The Campus Ministry Association voted to allow the Rev. Renee DuBose, an openly gay pastor, to join the group as a full member.

The voting took place Wednesday morning during this month's CMA meeting at the Presbyterian Student Center.

DuBose is a pastor for Our Hope Metropolitan Community Church (MCC) on campus, a Christian church open to the gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgendered and "straight-but-not-narrow" community.

Our Hope MCC is five years old and operates out of the Presbyterian Student Center, though it is not an official religious campus center.


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For some gays, living with partners means leaving U.S.
BY FRANK TREJO
The Dallas Morning News


DALLAS - (KRT) - What's the hardest part about living in Canada?

"I can't get good Mexican food," jokes 36-year-old Dallas native Gena Watkins. "But the really worst thing is not having my family here. My children, my dad, my brother, my aunts and uncles. I have a huge family base there that I've had to leave."

Each year hundreds of gay and lesbian Americans like Watkins make the difficult decision to move to a country that provides immigration rights to same-sex couples.

Watkins said she had no idea of the obstacles three years ago when she and her life partner, Lisa Proulx, got together. Proulx was in the United States on a visitor's visa.


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Sex change `is against my beliefs'
by Tina Clarke


A RELIGIOUS follower refused to see his probation officer because the worker was going through a sex change.

Magistrates were told that Nigel Coleman's reason for not turning up for the interview was because sex change was against his religious beliefs.

The defendant refused to complete a pre-sentencing interview because he did not want to reveal his personal life to the probation officer he had been assigned.

Coleman was due to be sentenced for assault but his solicitor told the bench that his religious views prevented him from opening up to someone he regarded as a worse criminal than himself.


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New cannibalism case feared in Germany


BERLIN - Police are investigating a killing in Berlin which appears to be a repeat case of cannibalism linked to sex.

A 33-year-old piano teacher was found dead in an apartment in the city's troubled Neukoelln district, police confirmed.

The man, who had been stabbed to death with a screwdriver, was sawed into pieces and his internal organs including the heart and liver had been put into a refrigerator.


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DeMint apologizes for remark
He regrets comment on single, pregnant teachers, but doesn’t elaborate on issue of gays and unwed moms as teachers
By AARON GOULD SHEININ, LAUREN MARKOE and JENNIFER TALHELM
Staff Writers


Republican U.S. Senate nominee Jim DeMint apologized Wednesday after telling a newspaper editorial board that single, pregnant women should not teach in public schools.

It was not clear — because DeMint refused to comment further — whether that apology also applied to his remark in a televised debate Sunday that gays and lesbians should not be teachers.

CONVOY ATTACK KILLS ONE, WOUNDS TWO 10/7/2004

A Gay & Lesbian Legal Guide to Internet Hate
Christopher Wolf


In April, Canada passed a law banning homophobic hate speech, and gay-bashing online was the target of the new law. Despite its noble intentions such a law would never pass muster in the United States.

As a gay man, I know how hurtful homophobic hate speech can be, and how it serves to stir up the worst in haters, who may well translate hateful words into hateful conduct – such as gay bashing. As chair of the Internet Policy Committee of the Anti-Defamation League, I have studied how widely the Internet may be misused to disseminate messages of hate and violence.

As a lawyer specializing in Internet law, I am also well aware of the challenges faced by legislators, law enforcement and national governments to keep up with the daily barrage of hate propaganda on the Internet. Our First Amendment permits even the most repugnant hate speech, unless it crosses a line – the line that threatens real, physical harm to identifiable persons. Hate speech constituting threats or inspiring real attacks can be prosecuted; the rest of hate speech online is the price we pay for free speech. This framework is probably best, as I will explain.


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Judge Reserves Decision In Arkansas Gay Foster Ban
by 365Gay.com Newscenter Staff


(Little Rock, Arkansas) A Little Rock judge Wednesday reserved judgment in a challenge to the state's ban on gays serving as foster parents. The ban is so sweeping it even precludes heterosexuals who may have a gay adult in their home.

Circuit Judge Tim Fox said he likely would not rule for about three months. He set a hearing for Dec. 20 in case he needs to hear more testimony.

The last witness on the stand was psychologist George Rekers, a University of South Carolina professor who also is an ordained Southern Baptist minister.

Rekers is a founder of the conservative Family Research Council, and has a history of anti-gay views, relying on the research of Paul Cameron, whose work has been discredited by psychiatric professional groups. Rekers also practices so-called "conversion therapy" which claims to "cure" gay people


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Gay unions a global issue
By DANYA LEVY


South African homosexual couples can adopt children; in Zanzibar gay marriages are illegal and Canada recently granted the world's first same-sex divorce.

In the debate over whether same-sex couples should enjoy the same legal recognition as heterosexual couples, New Zealand joins a number of nations juggling issues of equality, heritage, morality and religion.
Our closest neighbour, physically and culturally, Australia, banned gay marriage in August through a law which defines marriage as the union of a man and a woman.

Prime Minister John Howard, who has said marriage is the bedrock institution of Australian society, rushed the bill through Parliament, ensuring it would not become a divisive election issue.

Demand for Full Inquiry and Justice in the matter related to Injustice to the three Deserving Dalit Students of the Preparatory Course (2002-2003) at IIT Bombay Sign


To: Hon. President of India

Sub: Demand for Full Inquiry and Justice in the matter related to Injustice to the three Deserving Dalit Students of the Preparatory Course (2002-2003) at IIT Bombay.

Hon. President,

The IIT Bombay (IITB) authorities have done a great injustice to the Dalit students of the Preparatory Course (2002-2003) by not following the prescribed syllabus specially developed for this course and teaching the B. Tech. 1st year syllabus for the Physics and Mathematics courses. As a result of this, 3 deserving Dalit students have been victimized and expelled from IITB as the authorities state that they could not perform in one or two courses out of 8 theory courses and 4 laboratory courses. The unsatisfactory performance was essentially due the violation of the syllabus and several other lapses on the part of the IITB authorities. A detailed account of this is given on the website http://dum.150m.com. An appeal was made by the Dalit Utkarsha Manch on August 12, 2003 to the MHRD. IIT Bombay authorities, in their reply on this appeal, deliberately avoided to give their comments/answers on several important issues including that of not following the prescribed syllabus. Thus by giving round about and vague answers, they created an illusion on the MHRD officials that no injustice has been done.

Preparatory course has been introduced to improve the intake of Dalit students into the IITs on the advice of the Union Ministry of Human Resource Development. The students who qualify in the All India Joint Entrance Examination (JEE) are admitted to this preparatory course. In this Programme, the students are required to undergo intensive training in English, Chemistry, Mathematics and Physics for two semesters at such a level as to make it possible for the students to join the regular B. Tech. Course at the 1st year level. This course is designed as a bridge between 12th std. and first year B. Tech. Programme and essentially to stress on the fundamentals. However, by taking such casual approach of ignoring the well structured Preparatory Course Syllabus and teaching the syllabus of the 1st year B. Tech. level for the students of this special course, the purpose and the spirit of the course has been totally violated by the authorities and also resulted in victimization of the three deserving students.

Very harsh rules (in contrast to the liberal and students friendly rules for the B. Tech. and other programmes) have been made for this Preparatory Course with an objective of elimination of some of the students and thus making these students loose one full year of their career. Such attitude has resulted in discouraging the students to join this programme as evident from the statistics of admissions in IITs for this Course. Moreover some of the students from this course are simply expelled from the Institute after just one re-examination under the pretext of upholding the Merit. (As per the rules, now made available to this ‘Manch’, there is no provision for expulsion.) This is a clear example of biased attitude to the Preparatory Course. This has very serious implications on the spirit and purpose of the Preparatory Course and such bad practices can not be allowed to continue.

Since this case of injustice is being suppressed by the authorities of IITB as well as the MHRD officials, we request your action by

1. providing justice to the three victimized Dalit students by admitting them to 1st year B.Tech Programme at IIT Bombay,
2. by taking disciplinary action against the defaulting authorities.
3. implementation of the Preparatory Course in the right spirit for the welfare of the Dalit students and thus stopping the wrong practice of elimination of some students from this course after one full year and
4. a better substitute programme in place of the present one full year Preparatory Course.

Sincerely,

First-Ever In-Depth Study of Black Same Sex Households In U.S Reveals High Parenting Rates; Income Disparities
Black Couples Have Most at Stake In The Same Sex Marriage Debate, Census Analysis Shows


"This study disproves the myth that all gay people are White, wealthy, and have unstable relationships without children," said Task Force Executive Director, Matt Foreman

A groundbreaking study released today by the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force Policy Institute and the National Black Justice Coalition shows that Black lesbian couples are raising children at almost the same rate as Black married couples, and that Black same-sex couples raise children at twice the rate of White same-sex couples. They also earn less, are less likely to own a home, and are more likely to hold public sector jobs. For all these reasons, Black same-sex couples have more to gain from the legal protections of marriage, and more to lose if states pass amendments banning marriage and other forms of partner recognition.

The study, titled Black Same-Sex Households in the United States: A Report from the 2000 Census, is the first to analyze the demographics and experiences of Black same-sex households captured by the 2000 U.S. Census, the largest random sample dataset available on same-sex couples.

"As this landmark report makes clear, gay African-Americans are an active, involved, vibrant, and integral part of our communities. African-Americans make up 13% of the U.S. population. Black same-sex couples are 14% of all same-sex couples in the U.S. We are you," said H. Alexander Robinson, Strategic Director of the National Black Justice Coalition.

Black Same-Sex Households in the United States analyzes Census data on age, immigration status, language, disability, income, employment, home ownership, residential patterns, family structure, military service, and educational attainment for Black same-sex households. It compares Black same-sex households to White same-sex Households, Black married opposite-sex households, interracial same-sex households, Black opposite-sex cohabiting households, and Black single-parent households. The study reveals important and sometimes startling facts, including: ….

'Everyone has felt queer'
At this church, which has grown fourfold in six years, Christ has breasts Minister stands firm despite hate mail over gay stance,
LESLIER SCRIVENER
STAFF REPORTER


Transit ads in west-end bus shelters that have displayed sexy lingerie and the world's tightest jeans now feature a different invitation: come to church.

The ads along Roncesvalles Ave. invite passersby to Emmanuel-Howard Park Church, one of the United Church's fastest growing inner-city congregations. Church members posed for the moody black and white photographs; in brief text they explain why they joined. "I came because I'm loved here," says a bearded man, photographed in half shadow. "I come because it's challenging," says another, pretty well summing up life at Emmanuel.

"They are not meant to proselytize or convert or even to market. We are not selling a product," says Rev. Cheri Di Novo, the driven, plain-speaking former executive head hunter turned minister. "It is a welcoming gesture."

The church, at Roncesvalles and Wright Aves., has blossomed and its membership increased fourfold since Di Novo's arrival six years ago. She's drawn in young mainstream families, whose children swell the ranks of the Sunday school, and those who might be outcasts in many congregations: unmarried couples who live together, gays, lesbians and transsexuals, the mentally ill.


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Hate graffiti hits campus
Scott Jason, News Editor


University Police are urging hate crime victims to come forward because of racist, anti-gay and political vandalism that occurred on and off campus in the past three weeks.

The most recent acts of vandalism were reported on Sept. 24 by Assistant Professor Susan Green. She said she found "These are Chico State grads" written in red ink across a newspaper article about gay men getting married in San Francisco while she was in Trinity Hall.


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Talks focus on "practical solution" to Northern Ireland attacks
Ben Townley, Gay.com UK


Multi-stakeholder talks were held in Derry earlier this week in a bid to find solutions to the increasingly violent attacks against gay people in the city.

The talks, held with organisers of last weekend's march for equality, were intended to find "practical ways of confronting" the issue, Northern Ireland's Rainbow Project said.

They follow a steep rise in homophobic attacks in recent months. As well as beatings and verbal abuse, some gay men in the city have been subjected to death threats and homophobic grafitti on their homes. One had excrement smeared on the walls of his home.


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LGBT Commission sponsoring ‘Day of Silence’ on Diag


As part of National Coming Out Week, the LGBT Commission will hold a “Day of Silence” at noon today on the Diag.

Students who wish to participate are encouraged to wear all black and stand in silence on the Diag in honor of those who stay silent because of homophobia and anti-gay violence.


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High Court Asked to Block Anti-Gay Marriage Amendment
Speedy Decision Sought as Nov. 2 Election Nears


ATLANTA -- Gay rights supporters appealed to the Georgia Supreme Court Wednesday to block a same-sex marriage amendment from state ballots.

The appeal comes after a lower judge refused to prevent the ballot question on whether marriage should be only between a man and a woman. Judge Constance Russell ruled against the request last week.

The gay rights supporters, including two state legislators, had argued that the amendment should be tossed because voters will not be able to read the full language of what could be changed in the state constitution.


The measure going to voters on Nov. 2 stipulates that Georgia will not recognize same-sex marriages performed by other states and declares that the state's judges will have no jurisdiction to resolve property disputes arising from same-sex relationships. Gay rights groups claim the amendment is legally flawed because voters are asked only about marriage, not the jurisdiction question.


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Local gay rights activist encourages boycott of goods
By: Steve Gabriel


      While news of gay marriage rights has long since drifted from the media's eye, the issue remains far from resolved. "We're still gay," remarks local resident Richard Livingstone, "and that won't be changing soon." In response to what organizers say is a "war on gay / bisexual / transgendered Americans," a non-profit organization has dubbed a nationwide "Boycott for Equality," set to take place this coming Friday, October 8th. The website states that the effort, which encourages Gays, Lesbians, Bisexuals, and Transgender (GLBT) to withdraw from numerous economic influences during the day, is aiming to, "demonstrate that we are vital and important members of our communities with significant economic presence."

      "Boycott for Equality" is an Atlanta, Georgia based non-profit attempting to mobilize GLBT Americans to action October 8 in the following ways: 1) Staying home from work. Not generating payroll taxes, income taxes or adding to the economy. 2) Withdrawing $80 from your bank account at an ATM. 3) Not shopping. 4) Refraining from using cell phones or the internet. The belief behind these actions are statistics that put the number of GLBT Americans at 17 million with a daily spending power of $1.4 billion, which amounts to around $500 billion annually. Major groups that have endorsed or encouraged Boycott for Equality Day include Don't Amend: The Equality Campaign, The Advocate magazine, Civil Marriage US, and the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual Task Force.

Bettendorf moves ahead on sexual orientation ordinance


BETTENDORF, Iowa Bettendorf has taken a first step in adding sexual orientation to its civil rights ordinance.
The City Council last night approved the first reading of an ordinance that extends protection from discrimination to gays and lesbians. The vote was six-to-two.

The ordinance change must be approved two more times.

Aldermen Norm Voelliger and Tim Stecker voted against it.

Voelliger said he felt the issue was a federal, not a local one. Stecker said he was concerned the city was going too far in extending rights to groups that are not protected under state or federal law.


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SAN FRANCISCO - Sexual disease alert via the Net New Health Dept. program for gays
Suzanne Herel, Chronicle Staff Writer

 
These e-cards appear funny, sexy and hip, but if you're lucky, you won't be seeing one in your inbox anytime soon.

They're the newest way for gay men diagnosed with a sexually transmitted disease to tell their sex partners about their condition.

The program is called InSPOT -- an acronym for Internet Notification Service for Partners or Tricks -- and it premieres today, paid for by the San Francisco Department of Public Health STD Services and run by a local group called Internet Sexuality Information Services (ISIS)


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Activists hit out at Equality Commission
Ben Townley, Gay.com UK


The government's plans for a single Commission for Equality and Human Rights (CEHR) are "flawed", and will lead to a weakening of power, according to gay rights activist group Outrage.

The CEHR proposals unveiled by the government earlier this year will replace the existing bodies dealing with equality and form an umbrella group for all minority groups.

But Outrage says the body will lead to a weakening of the Commission for Racial Equality's (CRE) powers by diluting them to fit the five other equality strands of disability, sexual orientation, religion, age and gender.

The knock on effect of this is that the powers available for those working with lesbian and gay groups will also be weakened, the group says.


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Pope maintains campaign against gay marriages

Pope John Paul II kept up his campaign against gay unions today, telling Spanish-speaking pilgrims that marriage and childbirth were essential to civilisation.

The pope made his remarks in Spanish during his weekly general audience, five days after the Spanish government proposed legislation to allow homosexuals to marry and adopt children.


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Gay Marriage Law Up to Canada's Top Court
By COLIN McCLELLAND
Associated Press Writer


Canadian clergy are watching closely as the Supreme Court turns its attention at long last to the government's proposal to legalize same-sex marriage.

Some are worried they will have to perform such marriages against their beliefs if, as expected, the plan passes muster. The court was scheduled to begin hearings on the matter Wednesday.

"We are very confident that the Supreme Court will confirm what many judges have said across the country," said Laurie Arron of gay advocacy group Egale Canada.


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HRW wants killers of Lesbian rights activist brought to book


Dakar, Senegal, 10/06 - New York-based Human Rights Watch (HRW) has urged the Freetown government to bring to justice those responsible for the "brutal murder" of FannyAnn Eddy, a Sierra Leonean lesbian/gay rights activist.

Eddy, 30, and founder of the Sierra Leone Lesbian and Gay Association was found dead on the morning of 29 September.

HRW said in a release Tuesday that while Eddy was working alone in the Sierra Leone Lesbian and Gay Association`s offices the previous night, her assailant or assailants apparently broke into the premises, raped her repeatedly, stabbed and broke her neck.

"FannyAnn Eddy was a person of extra-ordinary bravery and integrity, who literally put her life on the line for human rights," said Scott Long, director of the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Rights Project at Human Rights Watch.

Louisiana Anti-Marriage Amendment Struck Down
Statement by Matt Foreman, Executive Director
National Gay and Lesbian Task Force:


"All across the country, the forces of religious and political intolerance are trying to do the same thing they did in Louisiana - mislead voters about what's at stake. They say they are only interested in preserving marriage as a heterosexual institution. In reality, the measures they are putting forward not only seek to forbid same sex marriage, they also seek to eliminate all other forms of partner recognition, such as domestic partnerships. This is true in 8 of the 11 anti-marriage amendments on the ballot in November 2.

Clearly, this is about more than 'defending marriage' (from what they cannot explain) it is about denying any protections or benefits to any kind of relationships outside of marriage. They do not care about real people's lives - real families and their children - only their own narrow view of the world.

We know these same forces will be back next year, but at the very least, today's court decision means that they will not be able to again mislead voters about what's truly at stake. We look forward to working with Equality Louisiana and its allies and beating our opponents in round 2."

CABINET OF THE MUSES
A Festival of Poetry and other Curiosities


Thursday October 21 – Saturday October 23
The LAB, San Francisco and UC Berkeley



THURSDAY, October 21

8 p.m. at the LAB, $7 - $15 sliding scale

Charles Amirkhanian (duet with prerecorded tape)
Laynie Browne (poetry)
Ray Chung and Alex Artaud (dance)
Covert Action (Abigail Child) (film)
Roxi Hamilton (poetry/music)
David Meltzer (poetry)
Linda Norton (poetry)
Radio Adios (Henry Hills) (film)
Waterworx (Rick Hancox) (film)


FRIDAY, October 22

Friday 1 p.m. - 3 p.m, UC Berkeley,
Wheeler Hall, 3rd Floor, Maude Fife Room, #315, Free
Translation Symposium

Laynie Browne
KJ Holmes and Ray Chung
Claudia Rankine
Elizabeth Robinson
Jerome Rothenberg
Juliana Spahr

Friday 8 p.m. at the LAB, $7- $15 sliding scale

Tony Coulter (sound poetry/electroacoustic DJing)
Gently Down the Stream (Su Friedrich) (film) The Making of the Americans
(Roberta Friedman & Graheme Weinbren) (film)
Hoa Nguyen (poetry)
Randee Paufve and Beth Murray (dance/poetry)
Photoheliograph (Jim Flannery) (film)
Claudia Rankine (poetry)
Dale Smith (poetry)



SATURDAY, October 23

10 a.m. - 1 p.m. at the LAB, $15 Dance Improvisation Workshop with KJ Holmes,
"Dance as a Second Language" Saturday, October 23 2 p.m.- 4 p.m. at the LAB

All other Saturday events $7-$15 sliding scale; only one ticket necessary all
day, so come early!

Saturday 2 p.m.-4 p.m. at the LAB

David Buuck (poetry)
KJ Holmes (dance)
Kevin Killian (poetry)
M. Mara-Ann (poetry/music)
Schlafbau (Helen Mirra) (film)
Sometimes My Feet Go Numb (Lourdes Portillo& Wayne Corbitt) (film)
Juliana Spahr (poetry)
Videograms (Gary Hill) (film)


Saturday 4:30 p.m.- 6:30 p.m. at the LAB

Ray Chung with Alex Artaud (dance)
Colors in the Mechanism of Concealment (Anne Waldman & Ed Bowes) (film)
Jean Day (poetry)
Stacy Doris (poetry)
kari edwards (poetry)
The Floating Series (Konrad Steiner & Leslie Scalapino) (film)
Junk Box Warrior (Preeti AK Mistry & Marcus Rene Van) (film)
Elizabeth Robinson (poetry)
Edwin Torres (poetry)

Saturday 8 p.m at the LAB (with reception following)

Brenda Coultas (poetry)
KJ Holmes & Edwin Torres (dance/poetry)
Poetic Justice (Hollis Frampton) (film)
Jerome Rothenberg (poetry)
Shelley Senter with Isabelle Cristo (dance)
Heriberto Yepez (poetry)


The LAB
2948 Sixteenth Street San Francisco, CA 94103
(The Mission - 16th St. BART)
(415) 864-8855
www.thelab.org

UC Berkeley
Wheeler Hall, 3rd Floor
The Maude Fife Room, #315

For further info on the participants see the LAB’s website at www.thelab.org

This event is supported by the generosity of The Doreen B. Townsend Center for the Humanities, The UC Berkeley Comparative Literature Department, UC Berkeley's Consortium for the Arts, and Poets and Writers, Inc through a grant
it has received from the James Irvine Foundation.8 p.m. at the LAB

Louisiana ditches gay marriage ban amendment


A Louisiana judge on Tuesday threw out that state's constitutional amendment banning gay marriage, less than three weeks after it was overwhelmingly approved by voters.

District judge William Morvant said the amendment was flawed as drawn up by the legislature because it had more than one purpose: banning not only gay marriage but also civil unions. The courts had rejected a similar argument before the September 18 election, saying it was premature.

Michael Johnson, an attorney for supporters of the amendment, said he will appeal the ruling. Some 78% of those voting favored the amendment. The Louisiana legislature pushed through the proposed ban in its session this spring. Louisiana already had a law against gay marriage, but conservatives warned that unless it was put in the state constitution, a Louisiana court could, in theory, one day follow the Massachusetts example and legalize same-sex marriage.

Christian conservatives launched a vigorous grassroots campaign to secure passage of the amendment. A gay rights group challenged the amendment on several grounds, arguing among other things that combining the question of gay marriage and the issue of civil unions in one ballot question violated state law.

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EU official defends stand on homosexuality
Italy's conservative nominee to become the European Union's justice and home affairs commissioner vowed Tuesday that he would defend the rights of gays even though he considers homosexuality "a sin."

Rocco Buttiglione also defended plans to have the 25-nation EU help operate processing centers for asylum seekers in North Africa during a heated confirmation hearing at the European Parliament. Legislators pushed the Christian Democrat to come clean on his conservative religious views, which many fear could influence his job in drafting antidiscrimination rules.

When pressed by Dutch Green Kathalijne Buitenweg on his views on homosexuality, Buttiglione said he does not "hide the fact" that he is a practicing Roman Catholic and has close links to the Vatican. But he insisted his personal views would not influence his new position in promoting human rights in Europe.

"I may think that homosexuality is a sin, and this has no effect on politics, unless I say that homosexuality is a crime," Buttiglione said. "The rights of homosexuals should be defended on the same basis as the rights of all other European citizens. I would not accept the idea that homosexuals are a category apart."


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Arkansas Anti-Gay Foster Care Law Back In Court
by 365Gay.com Newscenter Staff


(Little Rock, Arkansas) After a six-month delay a legal challenge to an Arkansas policy that prevents lesbians and gays and anyone living in a household with a gay adult from being foster parents resumed today.

"The state has put up nothing but outdated, baseless myths to justify denying Arkansas's foster children potential homes," said Rita Sklar, Executive Director of the ACLU of Arkansas which is fighting the law. "There may be a new witness taking the stand, but the state is going to be singing the same old song."


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Doctor Sued After Refusing To Treat Patient With HIV
by 365Gay.com Newscenter Staff


(Milwaukee, Wisconsin) A 54 year old Wisconsin man who says his doctor illegally discriminated against his patient by refusing to perform surgery when he learned the man has HIV Tuesday launched a civil suit.

Steve Spera says he went to Milwaukee orthopedist James Cain seeking relief for severe and debilitating back pain. Spera says that he received care from Dr. Cain for nearly two years and was given a series of pain management procedures but with little success.

Dr. Cain finally recommended spinal fusion surgery, and Spera submitted to a blood test to enter the hospital as a patient for surgery. The blood test showed that Spera has HIV, and Dr. Cain informed Spera of his status and said he would not perform the surgery. Spera says that he had previously tested negative for HIV.

"Doctors have an ethical and legal obligation to treat people with HIV," said Jonathan Givner, AIDS Project Staff Attorney for Lambda Legal which is representing Spera.

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Gay, Lesbian 'Economic Walkout' Friday


ATLANTA (AP) -- A middle school music and choir teacher says he wasn't a gay rights activist until Georgia politics forced the issue.

Prompted by a proposed constitutional gay marriage ban on the state's November ballot, Dale Duncan is doing something to try to unify gays and lesbians. He has turned to a tactic used during the civil rights movement -- a work stoppage and economic boycott.

On Friday, the Boycott for Equality is calling for gays and lesbians across the nation to drop out of the U.S. economy for the day by staying home from work, not shopping and not using cell phones. The boycott also asks people to withdraw $80 from their bank accounts and hold onto the money to symbolize the average daily contribution of gay and lesbian people to the economy.

It's a grass-roots effort being spread by word of mouth and e-mails. A Web site set up to outline the boycott had 1.6 million hits as of Tuesday, Duncan said.


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Group opposing marriage amendment launches media campaign


LOUISVILLE, Ky. -- A group opposed to a proposed constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage has launched a media campaign in Louisville.

The Fairness Campaign is mailing thousands of postcards and has sponsored a billboard off Interstate 65 at the Nov. 2 election nears.

The billboard, sponsored by the Fairness Education Fund, depicts the U.S. Constitution in the background and proclaims that gay and straight Kentuckians each "deserve equal protection under the law."

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Liffrig staffer leaves over gay marriage ads
By DEENA WINTER/Bismarck Tribune


U.S. Senate candidate Mike Liffrig's press secretary has left the campaign in frustration over a provocative television ad campaign that accused his opponent, Byron Dorgan, of supporting gay marriage.

Chris Morrola was Liffrig's press secretary from July 1 until last week, when he returned to Virginia. Morrola said he left largely due to the TV advertisements that were broadcast over his objections. He said he opposes gay marriage, but the ads were inflammatory and only hurt Liffrig's polling numbers.

Anne Waldman will be in the Bay Area to celebrate her new book STRUCTURE OF THE WORLD COMPARED TO A BUBBLE (Penguin Poets)

Monday November 15th, 7:30 pm at Black Oak Books, Berkeley

Tuesday November 16th, 7 pm at Booksmith (Haight) SF

Events are FREE. Many thanks

Once brothers, now sisters... and winners!


WHEN Singaporean Angel Hutchison turned 18 and started wearing bras and dresses, her parents got angry and objected strongly.

This is because Angel (blond in picture, right, with sister Jesse), now 29, was born a boy.

When her younger sibling, Jesse, followed suit five years later, it dealt them another blow.

Years later, their mother reconciled herself with the inevitable - two of her sons have become daughters.


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Court approves Carrousel's request to change registered sex


TOKYO — The Tokyo Family Court approved a bid by transsexual entertainer Maki Carrousel, 61, to change her officially registered sex to female from male, her spokesman said Monday. Carrousel, which means a merry-go-round in French, was informed of the court approval late last month, the spokesman said.

She was among the first to make applications to family courts nationwide when landmark legislation took effect in July. She will alter her real name Tetsuo Hirahara, a typical male name, to Maki Hirahara. Hirahara was born a male but underwent a sex-change operation in Morocco at the age of 30. She has used the stage name Carrousel for decades. (Kyodo News)


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Marking National Coming Out Day
By LAURA INCALCATERRA
THE JOURNAL NEWS


Rockland and Westchester organizations are preparing to mark National Coming Out Day with events to help educate the public and increase the acceptance of gays, lesbians, bisexuals and members of the transgendered community.

That's an important goal, because only by educating people will all people be safe to live their lives, said Joanne Goodman, executive director of the New City-based Community Awareness Network for a Drug-free Life and Environment, or CANDLE.


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Groups unite to oppose stadium
By S.A. Miller
THE WASHINGTON TIMES


A diverse coalition — including local politicians, black-power militants, homosexual activists and child-welfare advocates — has emerged to oppose plans for a Major League Baseball stadium in Southeast, as the D.C. Council today begins debating legislation for the "sweetheart" ballpark deal.

    A group calling itself No D.C. Taxes for Baseball, made up of more than 20 organizations ranging from the New Black Panther Party to D.C. Action for Children, plans to demonstrate this morning on the steps of the John A. Wilson Building, home of the City Council and the mayor's office.


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Fremont area fights anti-gay harassment
Three groups get funds from California Safe Schools Coalition
By Grace Rauh, STAFF WRITER


The Fremont area is an emerging center for groups actively promoting tolerance of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender youth, according to the director of California Safe Schools Coalition.

"There's an exciting amount of work going on in the area," coalition director Molly O'Shaughnessy said. "Groups all over California will be able to learn from strategies that work (there)."

Three Fremont area organizations are among 13 statewide receiving grants from the coalition. The money is intended to help end anti-gay harassment in schools.

Pat Skillen, president of the Newark-based chapter of Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays, believes the 2002 slaying of Newark transgender teen Gwen Araujo galvanized residents.


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Same-sex benefits lawsuit against Pitt officially over
By Bill Schackner, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette


Seven workers today will officially drop their 8-year-old discrimination lawsuit against the University of Pittsburgh over same-sex benefits now that the school intends to offer the coverage, individuals involved in the case said.

The development means an end to the highly charged court fight that spawned a challenge to Pittsburgh's gay rights law as well as campus protests and a hunger strike.


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Chico State President responds to acts of vandalism
Scott Jason


President Paul Zingg sent an e-mail Monday to students, staff and faculty in response to racial, anti-gay and political vandalism that has happened in the past three weeks.

University Police Sgt. Robyn Hearne said a car parked at University Village had racial slurs written in its dust on Sept. 17. Another car parked at Craig Hall had slurs written in its dust on Sept. 26.

Hearne said a newspaper article about gay marriage and a MEChA flier were also vandalized.


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Is this now the thought police?

THE BROADCASTING Council has fined Simba FM sh1.8m for hosting homosexuals on a discussion programme. The homosexuals were protesting against discrimination.

The Broadcasting Council said that Simba had offended the public and breached the law on public morality.

This ruling is probably unconstitutional and an infringement of the right of freedom of speech. Homosexual acts are indeed illegal in Uganda. But it is not therefore illegal to say that you are homosexual, or have homosexual tendencies.

Moreover neither Simba nor the homosexuals committed a crime during the discussion programme in August. Demanding a change in the law cannot be criminal


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Gays want demint to apologize
Controversy flares over his opposition to hiring homosexual teachers in S.C.
BY SCHUYLER KROPF
Of The Post and Courier Staff


Several gay organizations were unable Monday to get an apology from Republican U.S. Senate candidate Jim DeMint, who said Sunday that known homosexuals should not get teaching jobs in South Carolina's schools.

One request came from the Log Cabin Republicans, a national organization of gay conservatives who called DeMint's position "out of touch."

"At a minimum he should issue a formal apology for the comment," said former Charleston County solicitor David Schwacke, who is gay and leads the Charleston chapter of the Log Cabin group, which has about 50 mem


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Baton Rouge court to hear gay-marriage ban challenge
The Associated Press


BATON ROUGE, La. -- Many of the arguments gay rights advocates prepared for Tuesday's trial on their challenge of the newly passed constitutional ban on same-sex marriage have been heard before, but they were never really settled.

They were largely built around claims that the amendment should never have been on the Sept. 18 ballot because, among other reasons, it was drafted improperly. But such arguments were premature, state courts said. Now that the amendment has been passed, the lawyers will try again.

State District Judge William Morvant was set to hear the challenge at 10 a.m.

Some 78 percent of those voting favored the constitutional ban on same-sex marriage, and its related prohibition against state recognition of same- and opposite-sex civil unions. The vote was part of a national groundswell against gay marriage, which followed last year's Massachussetts Supreme Court recognion of gay marriage.

Protest day planned for 'Son of Section 28'
Ben Townley, Gay.com UK


Gay rights groups are calling for a day of protest in Kent, following the County Council's continued support of what has been dubbed the 'Son of Section 28'.

The protest day, scheduled for Saturday 13th November, comes a year after the government repealed Section 28 in national law. Immediately after this landmark decision, however, Kent County Council chose to implement similar policies that prohibit the "promotion of homosexuality".

The Queer Youth Alliance, the main campaigning group against Kent County Council, says it hopes the protest will urge councillors to think again on this issue.

"Kent's decision to hang onto this disgusting piece of legislation is a travesty for all of Kent's young people, gay and straight, and will only help to bring up another generation who think that homophobia is OK," Queer Youth president David Henry said in a statement today.


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Opposition to Civil Partnerships grows at Tory grassroots
Ben Townley, Gay.com UK


Nearly half of Conservative party constituency chairmen are opposed to giving marriage rights to same-sex couples, according to a survey from the BBC, putting them at odds with the party's new inclusive image.

Some 53 chairmen from 110 surveyed across the country told the BBC they were against giving the rights and responsibilities of marriage to same-sex couples.

These rights are currently being discussed in parliament through the Civil Partnership bill, which is set to have its second reading later this month.

In comparison, 35 of the constituency chairman support legislation to give equality to lesbian and gay couples, while 22 refused to answer or did not know.


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Gay equality campaign recognised in Manchester
Ben Townley, Gay.com UK


The 40th anniversary of one of the country's most important gay equality lobby groups is to be formally recognised in Manchester today.

Manchester Council has agreed to unveil a plaque at the city's Town Hall to mark the achievements of the North West Homosexual Reform Committee (NWHLRC), later renamed the Campaign for Homosexual Equality (CHE).

The committee was formed on 7th October 1964, and originally intended to challenge laws that made gay sex a criminal offence.

It also hoped to prove a viable option for those lesbian and gay people outside of London. The capital already had a gay rights group that was working to change the laws, but was inaccessible to northern campaigners.


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Guidelines For Homophobic Bullying


The government has announced that it will launch a new campaign later this year to tackle homophobic bullying in schools.

Stephen Twigg, the junior education minister, said that he will unveil new guidelines for teachers and schools so that they can deal with the problem as, "It is not acceptable now for schools to ignore this."

The guidelines will share best practice and will make it clear to schools that they will no longer be able to get away with "sweeping the issue under the carpet".

"I think it will be a very important and useful tool for schools, for head teachers, for governors and for school councils to use in the fight against homophobic bullying," Twigg told The Guardian.


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Clerics to battle against same-sex marriage
By TERRENCE DOPP
The Express-Times

TRENTON -- Politicians who support same-sex marriages will face backlash at the voting booth, a group of about 125 Christian and Jewish clerics gathered here Monday warned.

The New Jersey Faith Alliance and the New Jersey Coalition to Preserve & Protect Marriage also began a petition drive to collect signatures from more than 1 million voters supporting their cause.


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Turkey's bid to join EU gives voice to its homosexuals
Agence France-Presse
Ankara, 


Long oppressed in a largely conservative society, Turkey's homosexuals are timidly coming out for freedom just as the country gears up to join the European Union (EU).

Ali Erol recalls the days back in 1994 when a group of aspiring homosexual activists went to the Human Rights Association, one of Turkey's leading rights groups, to seek support for their newly found organization, KAOS GL.

"They showed us the door saying, 'Your fancies and indulgences are of no interest to us'," he said in the KAOS GL office in downtown Ankara. "Today, we work side by side."

The homosexual movement in Turkey is still in its fledgling stages, but gays and lesbians are increasingly becoming outspoken. They are expanding their networks, organizing conferences and film festivals and taking part in May Day marches.


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Utah man wanted for gay attack is in Billings jail
By The Associated Press


BILLINGS, Mont. (AP) - A Utah man accused of attacking and robbing two gay men in Salt Lake City is in the Yellowstone County jail on $200,000 bail awaiting extradition.

Scotty Hoerster, 25, appeared Monday in District Court, where he agreed to be extradited to Utah on felony charges of aggravated robbery and aggravated kidnapping.

Utah authorities said Hoerster and another man beat and robbed the two men in April.

Hoerster and Larry Bates were arrested and charged but later failed to appear in court and warrants were issued for their arrest. Hoerster was arrested by Yellowstone County sheriffs deputies and booked into the county jail on Sept. 26. A warrant was issued for Bates arrest after he failed to appear in a Utah court on Sept. 30.



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Same-sex couples hold rally in Reno
Don Cox RENO GAZETTE-JOURNAL


Same-sex couples from California whose controversial marriages earlier this year were ruled invalid by the state’s supreme court stopped Monday in Reno on a cross-country trip to raise support that culminates Monday with a national rally in Washington, D.C.

“Those weddings in San Francisco took us a step toward social acceptance,” said Brian Davis, one of about 40 members of the Marriage Equality Caravan. “That’s what we’re talking about here, social acceptance.”

The men — some, including Davis, wearing tuxedos, and women, some wearing wedding gowns — stood in front of the downtown federal building and carried signs that said, “We all deserve the freedom to marry.”

“We can be completely open wherever we are,” said Davis, who spoke while standing next to his partner, Ted Guggenheim. “We will be completely free.”


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Alexander Not "Too Gay"


Hollywood bosses have slammed reports the release of historical epic Alexander has been delayed because the movie is "too gay". Reports last week suggested Warner Bros had put back the film's release to November so they could tone down love scenes between Colin Farrell's bisexual Alexander The Great and a Persian eunuch called Bagoas - played by Francisco Bosch. But bosses at Warner insist they are thrilled with the film - and changed the release date to help its chances at next year's Oscars. Pictures President of Production Jeff Robinov tells The Scoop, "That is completely untrue. Warner Bros Pictures is proud of Alexander and thinks it is an exceptional piece of filmmaking. We've moved the release date, as we said earlier, to position it better for Academy consideration. We also want to allow ourselves more time to complete some of its ambitious visual effects. Any speculation that the Studio is trying to cut scenes from Alexander based on their depiction of the sexual relationships of the lead character is false and does not accurately represent the content of the film, which portrays Alexander the Great as heroic, and a man of his time and culture."

Job Advertisement
ILGA seeks to employ a Women's Project Officer

WOMEN’S PROJECT OFFICER

1/ ILGA World: who we are
The International Lesbian and Gay Association (ILGA) is a worldwide federation of national and local groups dedicated to achieving equal rights for lesbians, gay men, bisexuals and transgenders everywhere.

Founded in 1978, the organisation has 400 lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender full member groups from over 90 countries, and over one hundred and fifty associate and individual members. ILGA member groups range from small collectives to national groups and individual cities

13TH COSCOM SOLDIER KILLED 10/5/2004
TWO SOLDIERS KILLED BY SMALL ARMS FIRE 10/4/2004

Sierra Leone: Lesbian Rights Activist Brutally Murdered


The government of Sierra Leone should bring to justice those responsible for the brutal murder of FannyAnn Eddy, founder of the Sierra Leone Lesbian and Gay Association and a lesbian rights activist known across Africa, Human Rights Watch said today.

Eddy, 30, was found dead on the morning of September 29. While she was working alone in the Sierra Leone Lesbian and Gay Association’s offices the previous night, her assailant or assailants apparently broke in to the premises. She was raped repeatedly, stabbed and her neck was broken.  
 
“FannyAnn Eddy was a person of extraordinary bravery and integrity, who literally put her life on the line for human rights,” said Scott Long, director of the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Rights Project at Human Rights Watch. “Again and again, within her country’s borders and beyond, she drew attention to the harassment, discrimination and violence lesbian and gay people face in Sierra Leone. Now, she has been murdered in the offices of the organization she founded, and there is grave concern that she herself has become a victim of hatred.”  

 FannyAnn Eddy, 30, was found dead on the morning of September 29. She was raped repeatedly, stabbed and her neck was broken (photo courtesy of Lorena Espinoza).Eddy had founded the Sierra Leone Lesbian and Gay Association in 2002. The group provided social and psychological support to a fearful and underground community. Eddy herself, however, was a visible and courageous figure, lobbying government ministers to address the health and human rights needs of men who have sex with men and women who have sex with women.


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Ohio Gay Marriage Supporters Gain Powerful Ally 
by 365Gay.com Newscenter Staff


(Columbus, Ohio) The American Association of Retired People has announced its opposition to a proposed amendment to the Ohio state constitution that would ban same-sex marriage.

Voters will decide the gay marriage issue in November.

The AARP which has some 35 million members nationwide said that if the amendment is accepted it "will have unfair and injurious consequences for many older adults."

“State Issue One would deny property ownership rights, inheritance, pensions, power of attorney and other matters of vital interest to the health and well being of unmarried older couples," AARP Ohio said in a statement.

A call to lesbian, gay, bisexual & transgender workers
Following are excerpts from a call being circulated across the country:


On Oct. 17, people from across the country will converge on Washington, D.C., for the Million Worker March under the slogan, "Organizing in our own name." March demands include jobs, health care, a national living wage, repeal of the USA Patriot Act, bring the troops home now, slash the military budget, and end all racist and discriminatory acts in the workplace and communities.

The voices and issues of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) workers will be raised at the Million Worker March. We will be there as union members and unorganized employees, unemployed, immigrants and youths, joining hundreds of thousands of other workers and supporters.

We will be there because we need what all workers need: jobs for all, higher wages, shorter hours and freedom to organize a union.

We will be at the Million Worker March because we need a movement that is independent of the major parties.


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Bay Area groups seek tolerance for transgender youth
By Ron Harris
ASSOCIATED PRESS


SAN FRANCISCO – Two years after the killing of the transgender teenager born Edward Araujo made national headlines, gay, lesbian and transgender groups in the San Francisco Bay area are reaching out to young people in hopes of teaching tolerance and acceptance.

AdvertisementThe Santa Cruz County Task Force for Lesbian, Gays, Bisexuals and Transgenders is one of several Bay Area groups working to create an atmosphere of greater tolerance their communities. Monday marks the second anniversary of Araujo's death, and October is recognized nationally as Queer History Month.

Stuart Rosenstein, chair of the Santa Cruz County task force, said the often cruel forms of bullying and harassment begin in grade school, and misplaced anger is often tagged with derogatory terms related to gender issues.

One way to confront the issues head on is to get back in the schools and talk about them. Rosenstein's task force does just that, working directly with school administrators to help quell climates of harassment before they take hold.


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Eugene revives efforts to accommodate transgendered people
The Associated Press  

EUGENE, Ore. (AP) — The University of Oregon has already set aside several unisex bathrooms to accommodate transgendered students, or those who cross dress, have had a sex change or say they identify with the opposite gender.

 The city's Human Rights Commission runs educational seminars for city employees about the needs of such individuals.

City staff and community activists are now reviving an effort to expand Eugene's anti-discrimination laws to include protections for transgendered people.

Supporters say they are encouraged by the growing number of public bodies such as the university that prohibit discrimination on the basis of gender identity, and by the increased visibility and activism of local transgendered people.


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Free speech fight lives on
Legacy of 40-year-old movement can be seen at UC Berkeley, beyond
By Michelle Maitre, STAFF WRITER


As the University of California, Berkeley, prepares to commemorate the 40th anniversary of the free speech movement this week, one need only walk through Sproul Plaza to trace the legacy the movement left for today's students.

Dozens of tables for causes large and small line the walk that years ago was crowded with thousands of students rallying for the right to promote civil and political discourse on campus.


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Bush breaks historic grammatical ground


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Briton jailed in Morocco homosexuality trial


RABAT (Reuters) - A Moroccan court has sentenced a British citizen to one year in prison for committing homosexual acts and seducing a minor, official media report.

Such cases are rare in Morocco, where authorities often turn a blind eye to homosexual practices despite their illegality and rising pressure from the local media on authorities to crack down on homosexuality and what they call sex tourism.

Kenneth Watson, 66, was tried last week by a court in the southern city of Taroudant after he was caught having sex on September 25 with an 18-year-old Moroccan man, who was also jailed for one year, official news agency MAP said.


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Gay leaders to fight proposed ballpark
By S.A. Miller
THE WASHINGTON TIMES


Leaders of the District's homosexual community say they will use their political clout to save a homosexual nightclub mecca that is likely to be razed to make room for a Major League Baseball stadium in Southeast.

    Bob Siegel, landlord of several of the neighborhood's homosexual strip bars and adult theaters, said Mayor Anthony A. Williams and the D.C. Council cannot continue to ignore the displacement of the homosexual entertainment district.

    "The most gay commercial strip in D.C. is going to be wiped out, and [Mr. Williams] doesn't say anything about that," said Mr. Siegel, who is an Advisory Neighborhood Commission member for the area. "It's like a fly swatter coming down and — boom — we are gone."


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Family First aide disciplined


RELIGIOUS party Family First has disciplined a campaign volunteer for saying lesbians should be burned to death.

The man's comments came shortly before a group of youths hurled eggs at Greens supporters yesterday from a passing car at Dayborough, in the marginal Brisbane seat of Dickson.


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Homeless Man Found Beaten, Later Dies
Potential Hate Crime Being Investigated


WAVERLY, Ohio -- A homeless man was found beaten Saturday in Waverly and later died at a local hospital. Now prosecutors are investigating whether the incident was a hate crime, NBC 4's Elizabeth Scarborough reported.

Daniel Fetty, 39, had recently lost his apartment in a fire and was living out of his car. He was found early Saturday morning in a Dumpster after police were called to the scene of a fight. Fetty was naked and beaten. He died 12 hours later at a local hospital.


Police arrested Matthew Ferman, 22, James Trent Jr., 19, and Martin Baxter, 28. All three were charged with aggravated murder and aggravated robbery, according to Pike County Prosecutor Robert Junk. They are being held in the Ross County Jail.

Waverly police are calling the incident a robbery, but Fetty's friends said he was gay and wonder if that was why he was killed, Scarborough reported.

Junk, who said this was one of the most gruesome cases he had seen, said he will investigate whether Fetty's sexuality played a role in his death.


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Derry 1968-2004: The Struggle Goes On
by Various from Derry
Celebration of Civil Rights March Anniversary Expresses Outrage at Racist and Homophobic Attacks


From The Newswire: I don't really think yesterday's march should be described as a commemoration march. Sure, it was held to coincide with the 36th anniversary of the Oct. 5th march that is seen as starting the whole civil rights movement. But the idea for the march came first and then got hooked into the Oct. 5th thing. Basically, the SEA (Socialist Environmental Alliance) was looking for some way of responding to the high level of homophobic attacks in the city and also wanting to do something about racist attacks (there have been verbal attacks in Derry, but no physical ones). We thought we should link these two hate crimes and then thought the obvious thing to do was to call a "civil rights for all" march and link it to the history of civil rights activism in Derry.


We contacted the Rainbow Project and the people there thought it a really great idea. Since three of the organisers of the original 5th Oct march are associated with the SEA - Eamonn McCann, Dermie McClenaghan and Johnny White - they spearheaded the calls for the march. Having decided to make it a civil rights march, it was clear that the demands had to include Seamus Doherty, a republican 'dissident' who is being framed by the PSNI. In fact, his framing is so obvious that even the police ombudsman is suggesting the officer in charge of his case should be prosecuted for 'perverting the course of justice'. The march managed to smoke out Sinn Fein and even the SDLP to support the campaign against this miscarriage of justice. It was great to see something between 700 and 1,000 people march down Shipquay Street in support of gay rights and civil liberties and against racism - in spite of it being a wet and blustery day.


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Lesbian couple's activism changes path of gay rights
By Randy Myers
CONTRA COSTA TIMES


SAN FRANCISCO - The phone's loud and abrasive ring temporarily unhinges the conversation, but Phyllis Lyon ignores the intrusion.

She remains intent on completing a thought on same-sex marriage and her 50-plus-year relationship with the woman seated next to her, attired in a nearly identical purple dress shirt.

The caller persists. Mildly annoyed, Del Martin, Lyon's 83-year-old partner, picks up the phone, carriage and all, and plunks it with a clang in front of Lyon.

Berkshire police to focus on homophobic crime
Ben Townley, Gay.com UK


Police forces in Berkshire are to focus on homophobic crime, after the number of incidents in the region sharply rose last year.

The new initiative will see officers clamp down on violent attacks on the county's LGBT community.

Figures for the months between April 2003 and March 2004 show that the number of racial and homophobic incidents had increased to 270, the BBC reported today.


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Northern Ireland city "worse than during troubles" for gay community
Ben Townley, Gay.com UK


The Northern Ireland city of Derry is a worse environment for gay people than during the violence of the troubles, according to one victim of homophobic attacks.

The man, known only as Brian, told the Belfast Telegraph that additionally recent attacks against him and his home are forcing him out of the area.

Most recently, he said, a firework was forced through his letterbox setting fire to the hallway of his home. Previously, he has been beaten and had eggs thrown at his home.

"I felt much safer during the height of the Troubles that I have in the last few years," he told the newspaper.


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Lawmakers lose bids in suit over gay marriage
by ANDREW SCHOTZ


WASHINGTON COUNTY - A Baltimore judge has refused to let eight state legislators voluntarily become defendants in a lawsuit aimed at overturning Maryland's gay marriage ban.

"They're trying to go through the courts. ... We feel that's a legislative issue," said Sen. Alex X. Mooney, R-Frederick/Washington.

Mooney and Del. Christopher B. Shank - members of Washington County's delegation to the Maryland General Assembly - were among the eight.


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Gay-rights advocates fight to avoid shutout
Associated Press


PORTLAND, Ore. -- Camille Reyes used to be apolitical and irked by almost anyone ringing her doorbell to make a pitch. But these days, she's knocking on strangers' doors with missionary zeal to talk about one of the touchiest topics on the election agenda.

One of hundreds of volunteers canvassing house-to-house across Oregon, she is trying to persuade voters to defeat Measure 36, a proposed state constitutional amendment prohibiting same-sex marriage.

Eleven states have such amendments on their Nov. 2 ballots, but only in Oregon and Michigan do gay-rights groups and their allies feel they have any realistic chance of defeating them. Were all 11 amendments to pass -- a plausible outcome -- it would be a sobering setback for activists nationwide who a year ago were celebrating a court order legalizing same-sex marriage in Massachusetts.

"So many hopes are pinned on Oregon," said Roey Thorpe, executive director of Basic Rights Oregon. "Winning in even one place is so different from losing everywhere."


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DeMint: Gays should not teach
Candidate says he would not require educators to admit sexual preference
By AARON GOULD SHEININ
Staff Writer


CHARLESTON — Gays and lesbians should not be allowed to teach in public schools, Republican Jim DeMint said Sunday in a U.S. Senate debate.

The remark came late in the first debate between DeMint and Democrat Inez Tenenbaum — a testy and acrimonious hour that broke little new ground on their positions on most issues.

DeMint, a Greenville congressman, said the government should not endorse homosexuality and “folks teaching in school need to represent our values.”

Tenenbaum, the state education superintendent, called DeMint’s position “un-American.


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Hundreds gather for showing of same-sex marriage documentary
 

LAKEVILLE, Conn. (AP) - A showing of a documentary discussing the controversy surrounding same-sex marriage drew hundreds to a Lakeville school.

Lawmakers, activists, families and same-sex couples gathered at Hotchkiss School last night to see the documentary "Tying the Knot."

The film features interviews with people for and against same-sex marriage.

The event comes as a group of same-sex couples are pursuing a lawsuit against the state, claiming excluding same-sex couples in marriage laws is unconstitutional. A similar lawsuit in Massachusetts led to the legalization of same-sex marriage there.


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Brutal Murder of Fanny Ann Eddy, Lesbian and Gay Activist from Sierra Leone
From: lgbt-india


Fanny Ann Viola Eddy, the courageous lesbian and gay activist from Sierra Leone, and founder of the Sierra Leone Lesbian and Gay Association (SLLAGA), has been brutally murdered last Wednesday night or Thursday morning. Assailants entered the office of SLLAGA at night when nobody was in the entire building, and after apparently raping and stabbing her head with a sharp object, finally broke her neck. The lesbian and gay community of Sierra Leone is in deep shock and totally frightened by this event.


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Fine for Ugandan radio gay show
A radio station in Uganda has been forced to pay a fine for hosting homosexuals in a live talk show.



The Ugandan Broadcasting Council fined Radio Simba over $1,000 and ordered it to make a public apology.

The programme is "contrary to public morality and is not in compliance with the existing law," the council's chairman, Godfrey Mutabazi, said.

Information Minister Nsaba Buturo defended the measure saying Ugandans wanted to uphold "God's moral values".

Homosexuality is illegal in Uganda.


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ASU support group growing
Workshops teach students about LGBTQ community
by Shaina Levee


Through an ASU support group, more than 25 facilitators are now trained to advocate for gay rights and social equality.

Last spring, SafeZONE began educating both students and faculty participants. More than six workshops now are offered each semester.

The program offers workshops on becoming allies with the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgendered and questioning (LGBTQ) community.


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Homophobia and the Republican Party
By DOUG THOMPSON


The House and Senate, in a rare moment of common sense, sacked President George W. Bush’s homophobic constitutional amendment that would have defined marriage as a union only between men and women. That kills the issue for this year but we will be forced to visit it again as long as right-wing whack jobs dominate the Republican Party.

Of all the extreme positions that emanate from the rabid conservatives that control the GOP (and there are many), none are more despicable than their outright hatred of homosexuals.

They may scream loudly that gay-bashing actions like the proposed constitutional amendments are not homophobic but they are. Such hatred emerges easily from the same intolerance, bigotry and racism that still infect the roots of the Grand Old Party