National Security Agency Will
"Neither Confirm Nor Deny" Surveillance of LGBT Community
"2006 is the new 1984," says SLDN
 
Washington, DC - In a June 5 letter to counsel for Servicemembers Legal Defense Network (SLDN), the National Security Agency (NSA) says it will "neither confirm nor deny the existence or non-existence" of information that may have been obtained through agency surveillance of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community.  SLDN sought information, through a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request, after media reports indicated the agency may have been monitoring groups and individuals opposed to the military's "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" ban on lesbian, gay and bisexual personnel.  The June 5 letter was sent in response to SLDN's appeal of NSA's refusal to release any information related to that surveillance.  The appeal was filed on SLDN's behalf by the law firm of Proskauer Rose LLP.
                                                                                               
"2006 is the new 1984," said SLDN executive director C. Dixon Osburn.  "The federal government's Orwellian surveillance programs of ordinary, law-abiding citizens violates our right to privacy under current law.  The government's refusal to disclose its surveillance programs erodes the public trust."
 
The NSA letter, from William B. Black, Jr., notes that "any substantive response to [the original] request would tend to confirm or deny specific activities."  SLDN has up to five years to appeal the NSA's response.
 
In January, the Department of Defense acknowledged that it had "inappropriately" conducted surveillance on student protestors at several universities.  The Pentagon has also indicated it has additional surveillance materials, in the form of government TALON reports, which will be released at a later date.  Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld has said the surveillance program is "no big deal


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BBC defends DJ's 'gay' jibe


The BBC's Board of Governors has ruled that the word "gay" now means "lame" or "rubbish" among young people and may be used in a pejorative sense without insulting homosexuals.


The Boad rejected a complaint against Radio One presenter Chris Moyles after he dismissed a ring tone by saying "I don't want that one, it's gay".
The word "gay", in addition to being used to mean "homosexual" or "carefree", was often now used to mean "lame" or "rubbish", the committee said.

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Gay rights law to be overriden


THE ACT law enshrining legal rights for same-sex couples will be overriden because the Federal Government insists the law provocatively and deliberately tries to legitimise gay marriage.

After cabinet decided to disallow the ACT Civil Unions Act, the Attorney-General, Philip Ruddock, accused the ACT Chief Minister, Jon Stanhope, of "a cynical attempt" to "undermine the institution of marriage".

Unlike the 1997 overriding of Northern Territory law facilitating voluntary euthanasia, the ACT law will be quashed by executive edict, not by the Federal Parliament.