Monday, October 31, 2005

University of Georgia Board of Regents silent on proposal to protect gay students

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Regents quiet on change to policy By DANÉE ATTEBURY Published, October 31, 2005, 06:00:01 AM EDT The Red & Black, The University of Georgia The proposal to add sexual orientation to the University’s anti-discrimination policy is at a standstill, with both the University and the regents balking at approving the proposal. The Board of Regents has refused to give the University administration legal advice on whether to add “sexual orientation” to the policy, and the University is refusing to move forward until it has a response from the regents. “No action has been taken. No action is currently planned,” regents spokeswoman Arlethia Perry-Johnson said Friday. Perry-Johnson did not comment on why the regents will not give University administrators the advice it asked for a year and a half ago. University Provost Arnett Mace said Sunday he had not received any letters from the regents refusing to take action on the proposal. University spokesman Tom Jackson said the University would not move forward without a response from the regents. Jackson said the University needs guidance from state leadership on such a “politically sensitive” topic, even though other Georgia universities have long had “sexual orientation” in their anti-discrimination policies. But while the University sought advice on the proposal, universities such as Georgia State, Georgia Tech and Georgia Southern already have “sexual orientation” in their policies. “The political profile of the University is much higher than other schools in the state,” he said. Patrick Miller, the director of information for Lambda Alliance, said he thinks the regents are waiting for a more gay-friendly political environment before making a recommendation on the proposal. He said he thinks Adams and the regents have not taken action on the proposal because neither wants the “blame” for adding “sexual orientation” to the policy. Many lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) students suspect the University administration does not really accept them, he added. The University does have a policy that applies to sexual orientation, but it is separate from the main anti-discrimination policy. In April of 2004, the University Council voted to add sexual orientation to the main policy. Adams asked the regents and state attorney general for advice before passing or vetoing the proposal. The administration and the regents corresponded about the proposal, but no progress was made, according letters obtained by The Red & Black through an Open Records Request. Original Source: click here

New Supreme Court nominee issued anti-gay court ruling regarding schools and harassment of LGBT youth

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Bush's new Supreme Court pick struck down gay protection Alito ruled for Christian conservatives suing Pa. school district By CHRIS CRAIN | Oct 31, 10:12 AM President Bush's new pick for the U.S. Supreme Court, announced this morning, wrote an opinion on behalf of the Third Circuit Court of Appeals in 2000 striking down the "anti-harassment" policy adopted by a school district in State College, Pa., home to Penn State University. The policy banned harassment on the basis of "actual or perceived race, religion, color, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, disability or other personal characteristics." Harassment on the basis of sexual orientation extended to "negative name-calling and degrading behavior." It was challenged by a member of the school board, whose two children attended schools there, who said their Christian faith would subject them to punishment under the policy. "They believe, and their religion teaches, that homosexuality is a sin," the plaintiffs alleged in the lawsuit. "[They] further believe that they have a right to speak out about the sinful nature and harmful effects of homosexuality." A federal judge ruled against the lawsuit, deciding that the school district's harassment policy went no further than federal laws against harassment, which is not protected free speech under the First Amendment. A three-judge panel of the Third Circuit disagreed, and Alito wrote on their behalf that the schools' policy went much further than federal law, both in the categories that were protected and the type of conduct was prohibited. Bush's Supreme Court pick acknowledged that preventing discrimination in schools is a legitimate and compelling government interest, but concluded that the anti-harassment policy was too broad, blocking even pure speech that happens to "offend" another student. "Insofar as the policy attempt to prevent students from making negative comments about each others' 'appearance,' 'clothing,' and 'social skills,' it may be brave, futile or merely silly," Alito wrote, quoting the harassment policy. "But attempting to proscribe negative comments about 'values,' as that term is commonly used today, is something else altogether." Alito never touched on the plaintiffs' particular desire to discuss in school their religious teachings against homosexuality, but he did note that the policy specifically listed as harassment several types of speech that he considered "core" speech protected by the First Amendment, including: "'negative' or 'derogatory' speech about such contentious issues as 'racial customs,' 'religious tradition,' 'language,' 'sexual orientation,' and 'values.' Such speech," he wrote, "when it does not pose a realistic threat of substantial disruption, is within a student's First Amendment rights." Original Source: click here

Pastors protest school forum on anti-gay bullying

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Iowa pastors to protest school forum on bullying and gays Pastors meet to discuss how to fight 'gay agenda' BURLINGTON, Iowa (AP) | Oct 31, 8:33 AM A group of southeast Iowa pastors plan to launch an organized protest of a school-sponsored forum planned for Tuesday focusing on bullying and its affect on gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender students. The Burlington School Board will help host and participate in the GLBT Youth in Iowa Schools Task Force meeting scheduled for 7 p.m. Tuesday at James Madison Middle School. The group of pastors said they are opposed to focusing the attention on school safety for that specific group of students. "We're just strongly against it," said the Rev. Steve Perkins of St. John AME Church, who attended a meeting of pastors Thursday to discuss strategy for opposing what some among them described as the gay agenda. Perkins and his fellow ministers do not want to see GLBT students singled out as a specially protected class of student. If that happens, the ministers fear that proponents of the homosexual lifestyle will gain access to the hearts and minds of Burlington youth. "We do want safety for all kids," Perkins said, "and for them to have an opportunity to learn on an even playing field." The pastors intend to fill the school board room at the administration building for a scheduled 8 p.m. School Board work session Monday. A new harassment, bullying and hazing policy adopted by the board in August prohibits acts of intolerance, harassment, bullying or hazing based on race, color, creed, gender, religion, marital status, ethnic background, national origin, disability, sexual orientation, physical appearance or socio-economic background. The policy defines harassment, bullying and hazing and outlines punishments for students or staff found to have engaged in any of those behaviors. The policy also calls on the district to educate students about cultural diversity and promote tolerance of individual differences. Board President Frosty Krummel, pastor at First Presbyterian Church in Burlington, would not elaborate on his own opinion about the other ministers' misgivings about the Burlington schools becoming involved in GLBT issues. He did point out, however, that there are other Burlington churches listed among the forum's sponsors, and noted the existence of a "wide diversity of legitimate Christian opinion." Within his own faith, Krummel said one could speak with five ministers and get five different opinions on the subject of homosexuality. Krummel didn't seem to oppose the forum or the district's participation in it. "It's an educational forum," he said. "If you can't have an educational forum within the educational system, where can you have them?" The school district is sponsoring the event with the Iowa Department of Education, Iowa State Education Association, Iowa Association of School Boards, Southeastern Community College, the Burlington Human Rights Commission, the Burlington Public Library, Zion United Church of Christ, Trinity Lutheran Church and the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship. Assistant superintendent Jane Evans is on the schedule of speakers. She plans to give an overview of the district's recently adopted Olweus Bullying Prevention System. Superintendent Mike Book is scheduled to make some introductory remarks. Original Source: click here

Conservative Anglicans meet in Cairo; warn liberal Western Anglican provinces

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Conservative Anglicans warn liberal churches in West Mon Oct 31, 2005 7:38 AM ET, Reuters By Edmund Blair CAIRO (Reuters) - Traditionalist Anglican clerics warned the U.S. and Canadian churches on Monday that their liberal actions over gay rights were tearing apart the 450-year-old church and told them to change their ways urgently. In some of the strongest language they have used so far in an already acrimonious dispute, churches from Africa, Asia and Latin America said they saw no evidence yet that U.S. and Canadian Anglicans were responding to calls for "repentance". The 77 million-strong Anglican church has been divided since 2003 when the U.S. Episcopal Church (ECUSA) ordained a gay bishop and Canadian Anglicans began blessing same-sex marriages. The move outraged traditionalists who dominate southern hemisphere churches, the so-called Global South. They say the Bible condemns homosexuality and that liberals in the West have introduced unacceptable "innovations" into biblical teaching. "We recognize with regret the growing evidence that the provinces, which have taken action creating the current crisis in the (Anglican) communion, continue moving in a direction that will result in their walking apart," the group said in a communique issued on Monday after a six-day meeting in Egypt. "We call for urgent and serious implementation of the recommendations of the Windsor Report," the group of 20 church provinces said, referring to an Anglican report which laid down steps to be taken in bid to resolve the dispute. The Windsor Report included calls for the U.S. and Canadian churches to express regret for their actions. Archbishop Robin Eames, who led the Windsor task force, has said he believes the report's demands have now been broadly met. But conservatives say the U.S. and Canadian churches have only said sorry for causing hurt, but have not admitted their actions were wrong. "We see no evidence that both ECUSA and the Anglican Church of Canada are willing to accept the generally accepted teaching, nor is there evidence that they are willing to turn back from their innovations," the Global South communique said. Officials say the final position of both churches will only emerge from U.S. and Canadian conventions in 2006 and 2007. To read the full article click here

Sunday, October 30, 2005

Liberal Episcopalians prepare for possible split over gays

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From the Salt Lake Tribune By Kevin Eckstrom Religion News Service October 28, 2005 Liberal Episcopalians, concerned that a split over homosexuality may be inevitable next year, have begun laying the groundwork for seizing control of church property and replacing bishops who leave the church. Leaders of Via Media, a loosely knit alliance of liberal groups in 12 conservative dioceses that does not include the Episcopal Diocese of Utah, sketched out the plan in a Sept. 29 meeting in Dallas. Draft minutes from the meeting were leaked to the news media this week. The ''Day After'' blueprint - combined with conservative plans for ''faithful disobedience'' and bishops who are already mulling ways to divide property - is the latest indication that all sides are preparing for a battle royal when the church meets next summer in Columbus, Ohio. ''We want to do everything that might be necessary and appropriate to make sure that every Episcopalian who wants an Episcopal church has one,'' said Christopher Wilkins, the national facilitator for Via Media. The 2.3 million-member Episcopal Church has weathered deep divisions at home and with other Anglican churches abroad since 2003, when it approved an openly gay bishop in New Hampshire and inched toward blessing same-sex unions. Conservatives have looked to allies in the Third World for guidance, and have predicted a ''realignment'' of Anglicanism in North America unless the U.S. and Canadian churches repent of their actions. To read the full article click here

Gay 'Law & Order' star, B.D. Wong, discusses race & sexuality

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From the Daily Pennsylvanian The University of Pennsylvania 'Law and Order' star discusses race, sexuality By katelyn foley October 28, 2005 Best known for his role as George Huang on Law and Order: SVU, actor B.D. Wong now rejects roles stereotypically given to Asian-American actors after years of conforming to a "caucasian box." As part of Asian Pacific American Heritage Week, Wong spoke candidly about his identity as both an Asian-American and a homosexual. After struggling with his race and sexual orientation during most of his life, Wong has gradually come have confidence in himself. "Ironically, the two things that I loathed about myself were the things that were rich about myself," he said. Wong conveyed the confusion of his childhood in San Francisco when he interrupted an anecdote about his struggles as a young Asian-American with, "Oh, I forgot to tell you that I was a homo," eliciting peals of laughter from the audience. To read the full article click here

Conference on LGBT affairs in Catholic higher education held in San Francisco

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From the Washington Blade: Catholic colleges discuss making school a good place for gays Conference draws about 150 people SAN FRANCISCO (AP) | Oct 30, 7:00 PM More than 40 Catholic colleges were represented on Saturday at a conference that was billed as the nation's first on how gays and lesbians fit in at universities guided by a faith that says their sexual orientation is wrong. But rather than lamenting the Catholic Church's stand on homosexuality, the two-day "Out There" conference at Santa Clara University showed that plenty of gay-related scholarship and student affairs planning is going on in Catholic higher education, said co-organizer Linda Garber. "It's important and interesting to know there are Catholic universities that have offices and staff people specifically geared toward LGBT concerns," said Garber, director of the women's and gender studies program at Santa Clara. "There are a lot of people out there who are teaching (LGBT) studies without a national professional organization, a newsletter or anything." The conference drew about 150 people, most of them faculty and administrators who deal with gay subject matter or students. Topics included "Curriculum and Same-Sex Marriage in a Jesuit University" and "Can I Be Gay and Catholic?" The continuing tension was demonstrated into the oft-repeated anecdote that Notre Dame University has had an active gay and lesbian student group for years, but the college does not recognize or provide financial support to the organization. One sign of how far the universities have come in openly addressing gay issues is that the dean's office and campus ministry at Jesuit-run Santa Clara provided money for the event, while the school's president sent a welcome letter to participants, said Lisa Millora, assistant dean for student life. "There are a lot of people who subscribe to Catholic values as they relate to academic work, but don't necessarily agree with how the Catholic Church carries out its work," Millora said. Among the universities represented at the conference were Georgetown, Loyola Marymount, Gonzaga, Fordham, DePaul, Boston College, College of the Holy Cross, La Salle, Marquette and Emory. Original Source: http://www.washblade.com/thelatest /thelatest.cfm?blog_id=3235

Church offers home to gay African-American Episcopalians

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From the Chicago SUn-Times: 'This is a church where you can bring your whole self' October 30, 2005 BY CATHLEEN FALSANI Religion Reporter Tucked away in a cul de sac on the western edge of Chicago’s Austin neighborhood sits the Episcopal parish of St. Martin, an unlikely urban oasis that has become a thriving refuge for African-American gay and lesbian Christians and their soul mates — an eclectic mix of believers dedicated to spiritual and social justice. Fifteen years ago, St. Martin’s, like so many urban mainline Protestant and Anglican congregations, was in decline. The neighborhood that had given birth to the parish more than a century earlier had changed dramatically. Weekly attendance had dropped to about 60 people, most of them older white folks who had moved out of predominantly black Austin to Oak Park or other western suburbs. And then the Rev. Juan Reed, an openly gay, African-American, Roman-Catholic-Benedictine-monk-turned-Episcopal-priest, arrived on the scene. A larger-than-life presence — at a hulking 6 foot 7 with a bald pate, dimpled beard, enormous smile and fiercely gentle demeanor — Reed, 58, resembles what one might imagine the biblical prophets Jeremiah or Ezekiel to have been like: Commanding, wise and full of dangerous ideas about how to subvert the dominant spiritual paradigm. Turning on the lights, as it were, in the parish at 5710 W. Midway Park, was the first thing on Reed’s agenda. He began with parishioner’s hearts, gradually pushing them to face difficult issues of racism and homophobia, and after a few years moved on to the dank sanctuary blighted by an undesirable patina. To read the full article click here

The MCC, a predominantly gay Christian denomination, installs new leader

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From 365gay.com News: Gay Denomination Installs New Leader Amid Threat By Christian Conservatives by Doreen Brandt 365Gay.com Washington Bureau Posted: October 30, 2005 12:01 am ET (Washington) In a ceremony marked by tears of joy, a Florida minister was installed Saturday as the new Presiding Bishop of the Metropolitan Community Churches, but the just hours before the service began a Conservative Christian group threatened to take the Church to court. Washington's National Cathedral was filled with worshipers as the Reverend Nancy L. Wilson was installed in her new role as leader of the world's largest predominantly gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender Christian denomination. Wilson succeeds veteran human rights activist, the Reverend Dr. Troy D. Perry. The Washington National Cathedral is a unique institution. It is not a parish nor does it have a congregation. It is also where the nation has come to mourn tragedies, the loss of national leaders and also to celebrate great national moments. Wilson said Saturday's ceremony was the start of a new era of growth for the church, which includes 250 congregations in 23 countries. Church officials said holding the ceremony at the cathedral is especially symbolic of the increasing acceptance of gay and lesbian people of faith. Dr. Perry had been kept out of a ceremony at the National Cathedral 30 years ago. During the ceremony Wilson unveiled a 10-year international program of social and spiritual transformation for gays, lesbians, bisexuals, and the transgendered. To read the full article click here

Gay Republican campaigns for seat on NY City Council

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From the New York Times A City Council Candidate in Manhattan Is Reaching for Bloomberg's Coattails By JONATHAN P. HICKS Published: October 29, 2005 While campaigning in front of a supermarket this week, Patrick M. Murphy, a Republican seeking a Council seat on the East Side of Manhattan, repeatedly introduced himself to voters and told them, "I'm running with Mike Bloomberg." In fact, when passers-by would ask his party affiliation, he would consistently respond, "I'm a Bloomberg Republican." In a district that once reliably sent Republicans to City Hall, Mr. Murphy, is hoping that the mayor's popularity will help him become the first Republican council member from the district since 1999, when Andrew S. Eristoff quit the Council to become commissioner of finance to Mr. Bloomberg's predecessor, Rudolph W. Giuliani. The Democratic candidate is Daniel R. Garodnick, a lawyer with the firm of Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison who has been active in civic and community affairs. The winner will succeed Eva S. Moskowitz, who ran unsuccessfully this year for the Democratic nomination for Manhattan borough president. Mr. Murphy, 38, a former executive with a direct marketing company, has been especially active as a leader in New York Log Cabin Republicans, a gay rights group. He led a rally during the Republican National Convention a year ago to "send the message that our party needs to be more open and inclusive," he said. He portrays himself as a liberal on social issues but also as someone who is a "fiscally responsible" candidate. To read the full article click here

Saturday, October 29, 2005

Welcome Love Won Out

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From In Newsweekly By James A. Lopata, October 27, 2005 An open letter to Love Won attendees: The New England GLBT community welcomes all Love Won Out participants to Boston, Mass., the shining City on a Hill where our forebears settled in order to know and worship a God freely, according to their consciences. We who are openly gay understand, as few can, the pain of grappling with a sexual orientation that is not embraced by the majority of the population. We who have come out - sometimes painfully and slowly, sometimes quickly and exuberantly - understand the dis-ease of living with secret sexual attractions. Our dis-ease is not homosexuality. Our dis-ease results from the tension between who we are (who God made us) and the societal messages that tell us that who we are (what God created us as) is wrong. Many gay people are people of deep faith, many of whom count Jesus Christ as their personal savior. Gay people of faith - perhaps better than most others - understand that personal peace and salvation comes from faith in God alone and not in the trappings and doctrines of religion. Before most of us came out of the closet, the last thing we wanted was to be attracted to someone of the same sex. We grew up in a world that told us it was sinful and wrong. In light of those cultural taboos, many of us attempted to deal with our unexplained attractions to the same sex by pleading with God to have these overwhelming desires removed. Or we tried to play various mind games to convince ourselves that these attractions were nefarious thoughts that we needed to will away. Some of us continued to deny our honest feelings, building a fortress in our denial, causing ourselves greater and greater pain, without our even realizing it, and then unwittingly inflicting our self-loathing on unsuspecting others. Some of us, in vain attempts to remove the unwanted feelings, engaged in mortifications. When God did not answer our prayers to make us straight, some of us chose suicide rather than have to live with the animosity from the world around us. For when we were completely honest with God and ourselves, we understood that our attractions were so intimately bound with our core being, that the only recourse for extinguishing that desire was to extinguish our very lives. The alternative was to accept the desires fully, as a primary essence of who God made us, but the penalties that society would extract for that acceptance seemed too high - a living death. For those of us who finally overcame that extraordinary hurdle, we felt freedom as we had never felt before. Some credited God's grace and mercy with that feeling, but more often than not, since the God that we were taught of seemed to hate us so, we turned from the God of our society, the God of our oppressors. After all, was it not the people of God who had made the obstacles for acceptance of self so incredibly and life-threateningly great? All of us who live as openly gay people ultimately had to embrace a spirit of freedom, proclaiming the glory of who we had been created with our very bodies. Some of us glorified our newfound homosexual identity in celibate ways; many gay people are called to this gift, including many lesbians and gay men - many of whom are clergy who offer up their gift of sexuality to God. But not all gay people are called to that life. The gift of celibacy is no more bestowed upon a gay individual than it is on a straight individual. The gift of heterosexuality finds its rightful consummation in heterosexual sex no more or less than the gift of homosexuality finds its rightful consummation in homosexual sex. Consequently, many of us found great joy in monogamous commitments with one other beloved. Others of us found solace in the sexual company of many, many others. The uses of the gifts of a homosexual orientation are as varied as the number of gay people in existence. We hope that the Love Won Out conference offers an opportunity for those struggling with questions of sexual orientation to find the unique sexual identity that has been bestowed upon them, not to have an unnatural sexual identity forced on them. If the individual is gay, let them be gay. If the person is straight, let them be straight. If the person is bisexual or transgender, or whoever they are, let them be whoever that person is. Please. We've lost too many souls already, let's not lose any more. Once discerned we hope that Love Won Out will help individuals to express themselves sexually in ways that are healthy for the individual concerned and not in ways that others - whether gay, or Christian, secular or religious - see fit. It is only in that way that any of us will truly be able to claim that "Love Won Out." Amen. Original Source: click here

"Evangelical" Anglicans urge Bishop of London to deny Bishop Robinson

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According to an article on pinknews.co.uk, the Bishop of London has refused to ban the Bishop of New Hampshire from attending a Church of England service. The Rt Rev Richard Chartres, Bishop of London, received a letter from the London Diocesan Evangelical Fellowship, which urging him to ban the Rt Rev V. Gene Robinson, Bishop of New Hampshire, from visiting London or attending church services in England. According to the article:
The letter was signed by; Alison Ruoff, a lay Church of England Synod member, the Rev Will Donaldson, a vicar in West Ealing, and Richard Bewes, a former chairman of the Church of England Evangelical Council. It states, “We are greatly concerned that the visit ... will further damage relations between the Church of England and those Anglican provinces staying faithful to the authority of scripture ... Because St Martin's is hosting the event, it will be seen by those in African and Asian dioceses that 'we' in London are content, and so will cause further misunderstanding and upset…Please be aware of the potentially explosive nature of this letter (in terms of it attracting the wrong sort of press attention), and great discretion would be appreciated.” The Bishop’s spokesman told the Guardian that, “He is not in the business of curtailing free speech in London. Bishop Robinson will not be allowed to take part in the service, or to preach, but he will address the congregation when the service is over.”

Friday, October 28, 2005

Gay Briefs from the Winston-Salem Journal's Relish

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Gay Briefs Thursday, October 27, 2005 relish staff report Click here to visit original source Triad Takeover Night, a new community event, will begin Friday. It's a social mixer for the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community. A series of e-mails announce the time and place where a "takeover" is going to happen. The first night will run from 6 to 11 p.m. at Marshall Street Smokehouse and Wine Bar, 924 S. Marshall St. No admission fee will be charged, but donations will be accepted for the Adam Foundation and Guilford Green Foundation. "It's purely a grass-roots social event," Andy Moretz, the president of the Adam Foundation, said in a news release. "People can come alone or bring 15 friends if they like. Takeover Night is a way for us to build stronger social ties within the LGBT community and use the power of technology to create a buzz." For more information or to sign up for the e-mail list, see www.adamfoundation.org Triad Equality Alliance began a media campaign this month to educate the public about issues affecting the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community. The alliance is using radio, billboard and print ads to communicate its message. The campaign is being financed by donations to the alliance and by the Guilford Green Foundation. "Issues such as gay marriage have largely faded from the headlines in the wake of the 2004 election," Judith Kobler, a co-chairman of the alliance, said in a news release. "But sadly, discrimination continues to be front-and-center for thousands of people in the Triad." For more information, see www.traidequality.org Johnnetta B. Cole, the president of Bennett College for Women in Greensboro, will be the honorary chairwoman of the 2005 Winter Walk for AIDS. The walk will be held Dec. 4, beginning and ending at War Memorial Auditorium in Greensboro. Registration will begin at 12:30 p.m., with an opening ceremony at 2 p.m., followed by the walk at 2:30 p.m. The route is a three-mile stroll through Fisher Park and downtown Greensboro. For more information, see www.traidhealthproject.com or call (336) 275-1654. Martini Night is a time for the gay and lesbian community and its supporters at Speakeasy Jazz. Martini Night is held from 6 to 9 p.m. on the second Wednesday of every month. Participants can enjoy music, appetizers and a chance to socialize. Martini Night is free, and it is sponsored by the Adam Foundation (www.adamfoundation.org) and the Triad Business and Professional Guild (www.traidguild.com). The Triad Business and Professional Guild meets at 6 p.m. on the third Thursday of the month at the Airport Marriott in Greensboro. The guild is a nonpartisan organization that works to promote business and social networking for the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender community and its allies. The meetings begin with a social hour (with a cash bar), followed by dinner and a program. For reservations or more information, visit www.triadguild.com or call (336) 272-4256. The Winston-Salem chapter of PFLAG (Parents, Family and Friends of Lesbians and Gays) meets from 7:30 to 9 p.m. on the fourth Monday of every month at St. Anne's Episcopal Church, 2690 Fairlawn Drive. For more information, call 760-8865. Metropolitan Community Church of Winston-Salem welcomes worshippers of all sexual orientations, races and ages. The church services are at 11 a.m. and 6 p.m. Sunday. The church is at 4105 Patsy Drive. For more information, visit www.mccws.org or call 784-8009.

Gays need heterosexuals to oppose 'Queer Crow' laws

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A Column by Deb Price The Detroit News Monday, October 24, 2005 http://www.detnews.com/2005/editorial/0510/24/A09-358448.htm Leslie Thompson recalls waking up to wave after wave of painful emotions -- disbelief, anger, fear -- last Nov. 3, the morning after Michigan voters passed a state constitutional ban on gay marriage. In 10 other states, gay Americans awoke in similar agony, realizing that they, too, lived in a place where a majority of voters wanted the state constitution to deny their gay neighbors' basic rights that heterosexuals take for granted. And gay Americans everywhere awoke to the dawning of a terrifying new era of "Queer Crow" laws, which attempt to reverse gay progress. The laws are horribly reminiscent of segregationist Jim Crow laws -- passed in reaction to advances toward racial equality -- that long locked the South's black Americans into second-class citizenship. But rather than cower, gay Americans have responded to the Queer Crow threat by taking more responsibility to educate our nation's heterosexual majority -- by coming out, speaking up and joining hands. Thompson, executive director of Detroit's Affirmations community center, says 80 people showed up to "vent" after the election. They then swung into action. Since then, more than $2 million has been raised for a new gay community center. "There's been a huge shift from a sense of defeat," Thompson says. "People now understand that we have to be strong and ready the next time something like this happens." There will be a next time and a next time because anti-gay extremists have been dangerously emboldened by their successes: 18 state constitutions now include anti-gay marriage amendments. This Nov. 8, Texas will vote on a constitutional ban on gay marriage, and Maine will vote on whether to repeal a law against anti-gay bias. The Texas amendment, like ones in Utah, Michigan, Ohio and five other states in 2004, includes "marriage plus" wording that casts a shadow over the legality of unions other than heterosexual marriage. But a poll conducted in Utah suggests that voters often don't realize anti-gay amendments may later be used to go beyond restricting marriage to heterosexual couples. Pollster Dan Jones & Associates found in August that only 33 percent of voters in Utah who supported the marriage-plus amendment said it would deny gay partner benefits. Yet in July, when the Salt Lake County Council voted 5-4 against partner benefits, gay foes cited the newly passed marriage amendment. Similarly in Michigan, anti-gay forces seized the election results to try to stop governments and colleges from extending health benefits to gay employees' partners. That fight is still in court. In Ohio, courts are weighing whether that state's amendment was so broad that domestic violence charges can no longer be brought against live-in heterosexual partners and gay parenting agreements are invalid. After the election in Georgia, the Legislature quickly passed laws to prevent Atlanta from penalizing a country club that doesn't treat its gay members equally and from rewarding city contractors that provide equal worker benefits. Chuck Bowen of Georgia Equality warns, "The extreme right has us on the run." Already, the national anti-gay industry is gearing up a new product line -- state constitutional amendments banning gays as adoptive or foster parents. These are expected to be rolled out as early as November 2006 in Georgia, Missouri, Kentucky and Ohio. Gay people alone can't stop the tide of Queer Crow laws. We need fair-minded heterosexuals to stand up for us -- and fairness.

Thursday, October 27, 2005

President of US Conference of Catholic Bishops tells Vatican they are wrong

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According to an article on 365gay.com News, the President of the US Conference of Catholic Bishops, Spokane Bishop William Skylstad, has blasted the Vatican and their new witch hunt on gays within the Church. Bishop Skylstad said that "witch hunts and gay bashing have no place in the church." He went on to say, "There are many wonderful and excellent priests in the church who have a gay orientation, are chaste and celibate and are very effective ministers of the Gospel." The Bishop's remarks were made in his diocesan newspaper last week. According to the article:
Skylstad, president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, was addressing concerns about an upcoming Vatican document that will address whether homosexuals should be ordained. Conflicting reports have surrounded the contents of the document, which has been in the works for several years. Some church officials had previously signaled the Vatican would instruct seminaries to prohibit gays from enrolling. But earlier this month, a Vatican official said the document would stop short of a sweeping ban and would instead permit candidates who have lived chastely for at least three years. Skylstad wrote that if the latest reports are accurate, the document will be "nuanced and balanced." Vatican teaching holds that homosexual acts are "intrinsically disordered." The church, however, says homosexuals should be treated with compassion and dignity. Estimates of the numbers of gays in the American priesthood vary from around 25 percent to 50 percent, according to a review of research on the issue by the Rev. Donald Cozzens, author of "The Changing Face of the Priesthood."
===== Wow! It is not very often that a Bishop just up and tells the Vatican that they are wrong. I mean, that is basically what Bishop Skylstad did. Let's just hope the Holy Father doesn't respond to Bishop with a Papal bull of excommunicaiton.

UNCG lesbian shows anti-straight prejudice; "not exactly straight" peer responds in support of straight allies

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I found these two letters very interesting. The first appeared in The Carolinian, the UNCG newspaper, on October 18, 2005 and the response to that letter appeared in the October 25, 2005 issue. It basically boils down to this: First, one ignorant, prejudiced and biased lesbian (yes gay people can be ignorant, prejudiced and biased, too) blasts straight people who are supportive of LGBT people and equality. Second, one "not exactly straight" person blasts the ignorant lesbian for making her prejudiced and biased remarks.... That "not exactly straight" person is Samantha Korb (look on the side bar, "Samantha's Blog")! I do want to take the time to make my own response to Ms. Jenna Major, however. How stupid and arrogant can you get... no the "G" in "UNCG" does not stand for "gay". LGBT people are NOT in the majority at UNCG, no matter how many people continue to spread that myth. The only thing that makes UNCG special is that we have more open and socially and politically involved LGBT students than most other colleges. The second thing I want to take issue with is this: Ms. Major says that straight people cannot write about LGBT issues and cannot help in the LGBT movement. Minorities will never gain equality unless there is help from the majority. Of course, that means we will have to burst Ms. Major's bubble and continue to allow straight people to help us. I just think she needs a good diversity awareness class. Straight girls, leave the pride to PRIDE! The Carolinian, Letters to the Editor, 10/18/2005 I am not an avid reader of the Carolinian - in fact, last year I never once read an article. However, this year one of my friends is writing for the paper and she has been pushing me to read it. So every time a new paper comes out I pick it up and read it. This week's paper however made me angry. We are at UNCG and most of us know that G stands for gay not Greensboro and I am a Lesbian. After talking to several of my gay friends I knew I needed to write this letter. How do you have self-proclaimed straight girls write about such important events as coming out and Pridefest? These are huge events in a GLBTQ's life. In Kitty Campbell's article "Coming Out to Create Change" she makes a statement, "What gives me the right to encourage GLBTQ folk to come out?" The answer to that question is you don't. You don't know what it is like so you can't talk about it. However, Kitty's article was nowhere near as offensive as Brook Taylor's "Straight Girl Goes Gay." Good for you for having gay friends and a boyfriend who is gay (that's another issue), but how can you take the Pridefest and turn it in a cheap article about how you got to see men with their shirts off and making out with a girl? That is insulting to say the least, and is "lesbionic" even a word? Not according to my spell check. In my opinion the Carolinian needs to find themselves a GLBTQ writer on their staff, because the straight ones should not be handling issues like these. Jenna Major ------ Don't dismiss straight allies The Carolinian, Letters to the Editor, 10/25/2005 Jenna Major's letter (October 18) "Straight girls, leave pride to PRIDE!" states that anyone who does not identify as GLBTQ (Gay Lesbian Bisexual Transgender Queer) should not be writing about GLBTQ issues. I strongly disagree. Her statements suggest that the GLBTQ community is exclusive, and that straight allies can not take part in the steps toward equality for GLBTQ individuals. Kitty Campbell's article "Coming out to Create Change" (October 4) was an excellent article that successfully and thoroughly examined what it means for a GLBTQ individual to come out. Why should it matter if Ms. Campbell is straight? Ms. Major completely misses the point of Brook Taylor's article, "Straight Girl Goes Gay" (October 4). I was there that weekend and Brook was simply telling her experience as a straight ally at PRIDE Fest. Writing "Lesbionic" was not intended to be derogatory to lesbians, it was funny to me, and I am not exactly straight either. As one of the Outreach Coordinators of UNCG PRIDE!, I believe it is important to include straight allies, not exclude them in fighting for equality for GLBTQ individuals. That includes bringing forth awareness of the issues like Ms. Campbell did and taking part in GLBTQ events like Ms. Taylor did. PRIDE! stands for Proudly Representing Individuality Diversity and Equality and that means welcoming straight allies in our movement. To exclude straight allies would only be hypocritical of the GLBTQ community and its movement for equality. Samantha Korb Original Source Letter One: click here Original Source Letter Two: click here

University sophomore receives punishment for online anti-gay remarks

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According to an article WTAE-TV 4 (thepittsburghchannel.com), a Duquesne University sophomore has been punished under the university's code after he made anti-gay remarks, including calling gays "sub-human." The remarks were originally made on Facebook, an online directory and community forum-type website for college students. His remarks soon spread over the internet and through the university student body. According to the article:
Ryan Miner, 19, of Hagerstown, Md., was sanctioned by Duquesne after posting his view in The Facebook, an online directory that is not related to the university. Miner opposed an effort by other students to form a Gay-Straight Alliance group, an issue that is still being debated by the university. "I believe as a student that my First Amendment rights in the Constitution were subverted and attacked," said Miner. After Miner's comments appeared online, some students complained to the school. After a hearing, the Office of Judicial Affairs found Miner guilty of violating the University Code, which prohibits harassment or discrimination based on sexual orientation, among other groups. A 10-page paper was assigned as punishment. Miner said he refuses to write it and will file an appeal.
===== A really good debate exists here. Not only does it exist in Pittsburgh, but also in Greensboro. UNCG wants to be able to punish resident students for alcohol consumption based upon evidence found on Facebook, such as pictures or comments. My question is this... can universities really enforce the student code of conduct when a student's conduct is not related to the university? Mr. Miner, had he made those remarks during a class or on a univeristy-sponsored website or somewhere on campus, should then be punished. He should not be punished for what he said outside of the university's jurisdiction. I guess many would expect me to say... "Kick him out of school!" and be the most radical gay rights activist I can be on this issue... but, nope. The university shouldn't be able to punish him... the remarks were made outside of the university's control.

Miers withdraws nomination under mounting criticism

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From the Raleigh News & Observer: By TERENCE HUNT, AP WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT WASHINGTON (AP) - Under withering attack from conservatives, President Bush abandoned his push to put loyalist Harriet Miers on the Supreme Court and promised a quick replacement Thursday. Democrats accused him of bowing to the "radical right wing of the Republican Party." The White House said Miers had withdrawn because of senators' demands to see internal documents related to her role as counsel to the president. But politics played a larger role: Bush's conservative backers had doubts about her ideological purity, and Democrats had little incentive to help the nominee or the embattled GOP president. "Let's move on," said Republican Sen. Trent Lott of Mississippi. "In a month, who will remember the name Harriet Miers?" The withdrawal stunned Washington on a day when the capital was awaiting potential bad news for the administration on another front - the possible indictments of senior White House aides in the CIA leak case. Earlier in the week, the U.S. military death toll in Iraq hit 2,000. Bush, who said he reluctantly accepted Miers' decision to withdraw, must now go through the agonizing nomination process for a third time this fall. He could turn first to the list of candidates passed over in favor of Miers, including Samuel Alito, an appeals court judge supported by many conservatives, administration officials said. Democrats urged Bush to nominate a moderate. "The president has an opportunity now to unite the country. In appointing the next nominee, he must listen to all Americans, not just the far right," said Sen. Edward Kennedy of Massachusetts. To read the full article CLICK HERE

Ministry's on a misguided mission to scare gay teens straight

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SUSAN PAYNTER SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER COLUMNIST Wednesday, October 26, 2005 They're from God and they're here to help you by heading to Seattle this week with a whole new take on the meaning of scaring teenagers straight. Groundswell -- a so-called "ex-gay" ministry from Florida that targets teenagers -- insists it speaks to kids "kindly and compassionately" about what the Bible says about homosexuality. But the gist is that young people who are gay are also sinful, sick and wrong. In order to be righteous, healthy and right, they must be "helped" to change. Oh, and while they're in the neighborhood, they hope to get that message into schools. The push, under the auspices of the evangelical "gay fix-it" group, Exodus International, will set up shop Thursday at Redmond's Antioch Bible Church. So, today, groups including the Safe Schools Coalition and the Washington Association of Churches will join with local teachers, physicians, parents and gay teens for a pre-emptive strike of acceptance. Nineteen-year-old University of Washington freshman Bryce McKibben says that telling teenagers they need to change in order to be happy is destructive. Gay teens and those struggling with sexual identity often are depressed and confused. "So, when a religious group comes along suggesting there's a way out by changing who they are, and then it doesn't work, it just adds to the feeling of failure and isolation. Even suicide," he said. "Imagine spending a lot of time trying to be someone else and then being rejected by the very religious group that was supposed to save you. It would be like emotional purgatory." And most mainstream researchers hold that "repair therapy" rarely, if ever, works. Now a UW freshman, McKibben was a 16-year-old Eastlake High School student when he came out. It was being "in" and lying to the people closest to him that caused his anxiety and depression. Family physician Carol Waymack's now-23-year-old daughter was 16, too, when she acknowledged her orientation. "It was not a choice. It was who she was from well before she could put words to it," said Waymack who, like McKibben, will speak at today's event. "She was probably aware from the age of 10 or 11 and her happiness just blossomed after she came out." It would not have been helpful for someone to come along and make guilt, fear and damnation a part of that process, Waymack said. "Helpful would be knowing she could be happy and accepted either way. That there are many ways to live a healthy, happy, responsible life." OK, but what about the Bible? David Strong, pastor of Christian Community Church of Joy (which meets at Seattle First Baptist Church) says kids he counsels often ask about passages about abomination. The Bible has been used to hurt people for many reasons, including to condone slavery, said Strong, who is African American. He prefers "Love thy neighbor as thyself" and "God is love." "Telling someone, especially someone young, that who they are is not valuable and rejected by God is dangerous," Strong said. "The message then is that the Bible says you're bad, not that God loves everyone, no matter who they are." At the same vulnerable, searching time that Strong was studying to become a Roman Catholic priest, he was wrenched over coming out as gay. "I remember going into the chapel and hearing, 'Thou shall know the truth and the truth shall set you free,' " he said. "The truth ... not changing or hiding or hating the truth of who you are." "Why do these church folks want to be in our schools?" asks Monica Corsaro, pastor of an ecumenical campus ministry at the UW. "They have the freedom to teach whatever they want in their churches. But to claim that (what they are teaching) is science is damaging and there is such potential for harm. Young people are trying to discover where they fit and are often exploring their spirituality for the first time outside of their parents." School should be a place to feel safe says Ballard High School teacher Sarah Talbot, the mother of four and a lesbian. It's not the place for proselytizing or being told that who you are is not OK. "Gay teens are as morally sound as anyone else," she said. And part of what reprogramming groups do is recruit some teens to harass others, says Beth Reis of the Seattle-based Safe Schools Coalition. Students don't give up the right of free speech when they walk through the schoolhouse door, Reis says. And that includes kids who believe that the three-letter word gay translates to the three-letter word bad. "They have every bit as much right to express opinions as others," she said. "But it's important for schools to enforce a line between expression and bullying." And it does happen. The recent statewide Healthy Youth Survey of sixth- through 12th-graders showed that more than 12 percent of students reported offensive comments toward gays, many of them religiously or biblically based. "Pitting young people against one another is not compassionate, it's abusive," Reis said. "And there is no evidence from any respected researcher that these kinds of 'therapies' and reprogramming are effective." They may be scaring kids but they're not scaring them straight. Susan Paynter's column appears Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. Call her at 206-448-8392 or send e-mail to susanpaynter@seattlepi.com Original Source: http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/paynter/245864_paynter26.html

Wednesday, October 26, 2005

Openly gay candidates run for progressively liberal Atlanta city council

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From the Atlanta Journal-Constitution: Gays a force in council races Orientation not big issue, candidates say By ERNIE SUGGS The Atlanta Journal-Constitution Published on: 10/26/05 In a strongly worded letter to Georgia Equality criticizing the group's recent political endorsements, Keisha Sean Waites called the state's largest and most influential gay rights organization "defunct, impotent and ineffective." "The endorsement of Mr. Boazman is an insult to the [lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender] community and every person, business, and corporation that has contributed financially to Georgia Equality," said Waites, who is running for the District 12 seat against Derrick Boazman. Waites, who is gay, is one of five openly gay candidates seeking a seat on the Atlanta City Council. In Atlanta, where the gay community continues to grow, the 2005 election could be a watershed event in city politics. Which is why an endorsement or non-endorsement from Georgia Equality can elicit such emotion. "I don't think it is anything odd, but a positive signal that we are being more recognized in our community and in our ability to lead," said Chuck Bowen, executive director of Georgia Equality. "Ten years ago, there were no openly out elected officials." In 1997, Cathy Woolard, who was elected to the Atlanta City Council in District 6, became Georgia's first openly gay elected official. State Rep. Karla Drenner (D-Avondale Estates); Decatur City Commissioner Kecia Cunningham, Georgia's only openly gay black elected official; and East Point Councilman Lance Rhodes soon followed. In 2001, when Woolard ran for City Council president, Anne Fauver, a gay woman, was elected to replace Woolard in District 6. Fauver, who is seeking re-election, said the recent increase in gay candidates and politicians is similar to the path taken by blacks and women seeking a place at the political table. "Gays are another minority that has emerged on the political scene," said Fauver. I think that metro Atlanta has gotten more liberal, plus the fact that you just have the emergence of another minority." To read the full article CLICK HERE

WNBA's MVP, Houston Comets' Swoopes comes out

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From the Washington Blade: WNBA's Most Valuable Player comes out Houston Comets Swoopes says she wants to be honest Oct 26, 8:52 AM Houston Comets forward Sheryl Swoopes is opening up about being a lesbian, telling a magazine that she's "tired of having to hide my feelings about the person I care about." Swoopes, honored last month as the WNBA's Most Valuable Player, told ESPN The Magazine for a story on newsstands Wednesday that she didn't always know she was gay and fears that coming out could jeopardize her status as a role model. "Do I think I was born this way? No," Swoopes said. "And that's probably confusing to some, because I know a lot of people believe that you are." Swoopes, who was married and has an 8-year-old son, said her 1999 divorce "wasn't because I'm gay." She said her reason for coming out now is merely because she wants to be honest. "It's not something that I want to throw in people's faces. I'm just at a point in my life where I'm tired of having to pretend to be somebody I'm not," the 34-year-old Swoopes said. "I'm tired of having to hide my feelings about the person I care about. About the person I love." To read the full article CLICK HERE

Tuesday, October 25, 2005

EqualityNC News

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From Equality NC, October 25, 2005 Friends, We've had busy couple weeks fighting the far-right to protect LGBT students. We've also been on the road and traveling around the state for education and outrearch programs in Charlotte, Greensboro, Raleigh, and Chapel Hill and a great fundraiser in Winston-Salem. If we can help with a program in your area, let us know! Ian Palmquist & Ed Farthing Executive Directors Fight for Inclusive Counseling Continues Equality NC is continuing our work to ensure that the State Board of Education doesn't give in to pressure from the anti-LGBT bigotry of the NC Family Policy Council and adopts professional standards for school counselors and school social workers that include understanding discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity. We're working to educate board members about the issue, ensure that ally organizations speak out on the issue, and get our message of equality and justice out in the media. Last week we launched an online petition campaign and you, our supporters, came through! In less than a week more than 1000 people have signed the petition. If you haven't signed the petition, click here to sign now. If you have, thank you. The Board will vote on this policy at their meeting on November 2-3. We'll keep working and keep you up to date as this issue develops. Activist, Candidate Training Coming to North Carolina Want to learn how to be a stonger activist? Thinking of working on a campaign? Considering a run for elected office? Wellstone Action, a national progressive center for training and leadership development is bringing Camp Wellstone to Raleigh November 11-13. The training will include three tracks for people with all levels of experience: Being a Candidate Working on a Campaign Citizen Activism, Advocacy & Organizing To learn more about the program and to register, click here. Winston-Salem Reception a Hit Thanks to our supporters in the Triad for making our fundraising reception there Thursday a success. Our special guests, Carrboro Mayor Mike Nelson and Police Chief Carolyn Hutchison moved the crowd with their stories of serving as openly gay and lesbian officials and Equality NC staff updated the group on our work. The event raised more than $4000, and several members committed to becoming monthly sustainers. The reception was followed by a screening of In Broad Daylight, a powerful film documenting Dr. Jamie Koufman's transition to living as a female. This documentary, which is a finalist for the Sundance film festival, tells a moving tale and will be a strong tool for helping the public understand what it means to be transsexual. We are grateful to Dr. Koufman for hosting the event, ENC Board Member Philip Gnilka for organizing it, our special guests and other board members who attended, and the volunteers that aided the event. Upcoming Events Triangle Social Hour Friday, October 28, 6:30-8:30 PM Our first social hour was a huge success with more than 60 people attending, so we're doing it again! Not a fundraisier, just a fun chance to start the weekend with people who care about equal rights. Click here for details and to RSVP. National Transgender Day of Rememberance Sunday, November 20 Equality NC PAC Reception with Out Officials from Around the Nation Wednesday, December 7, 7:00-9:00 PM Save the Date! Details soon. Help us kick off our fundraising for our 2006 electoral work as we're joined by openly gay and lesbian elected officials from across the country. Original Source: click here

Op-Ed: Anti-gay harassment and schools

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Just change everytime it says "Iowa" to "North Carolina" and the city names to places like "Winston-Salem", "Mt. Airy", and "King" and this would fit perfectly in our area: Don't minimize bullying of gay students By REGISTER EDITORIAL BOARD October 23, 2005 When Alison Mollman came out in 10th grade, a lot of friends were supportive. Some teachers were, too. Only one classmate called her a name to her face. Being involved in student government and the school newspaper probably helped. But she saw other gay kids being harassed. And she didn't see a teacher interfere, not once. [Same as in North Carolina] Mollman, now 18, was one of two valedictorians in the Prairie High School Class of 2005. She spoke of her experiences at a forum this month in Cedar Rapids on bullying and gay students. Dick Whitehead, superintendent of the College Community School District in Cedar Rapids, which Mollman attended for 13 years, was there, too. He recognized an opportunity. The next day, he sent his staff an e-mail that said: "We are a public school. We serve all students. All students have a right to feel safe at school. All students have a right to be free from harassment at our school. All students means ALL students. As school employees, we will act in such a manner as to protect those rights. We will teach, model and enforce those principles. We will not tolerate harassment of any kind for any reason. We will not tolerate name calling in our classroom or our halls. We will not ignore, turn away, or minimize our responsibility." [The former principal of R.J. Reynolds High School, Mr. Stan Elrod, issued numerous statements such as this in response to anti-gay activity at Reynolds from 2000-2004] That message should be sent to all Iowa schools. Some schools do minimize their responsibility. Despite greater efforts in recent years to address bullying, anti-gay slurs are still common inside schools. If principals and teachers took action every time they heard "faggot," or "dyke" or "That's so gay," gay-bashing surely would decrease. A 2003 national high school climate survey by the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network said 84 percent of lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender students reported being verbally harassed. While bullying in general is a problem, targeting students who are gay, or perceived to be, "is often one of the most common examples of what local school districts are dealing with," said Tom Andersen, who handles equity issues for the Iowa Department of Education. A Newell-Fonda case suggests some school officials may not understand how much torment kids face. The school board in 2004 denied a request to let a student open-enroll to another district after he had been called gay, punched in the shoulder and kicked in the groin, according to Iowa Department of Education records. "His school days consisted of teasing, taunting, having his books and school materials hidden and being laughed at," the appeal decision states. The state education board reversed the local board's decision. No school district should pretend gay students don't exist, not even in a town known as one of the most conservative in Iowa. [Hmmm... maybe the Winston-Salem/Forsyth County School System should take a hint] Emily Frerichs, 17, of Orange City recently started a Gay Straight Alliance, and 10 kids showed up for the first meeting. "The purpose of the club is to generally make the school safe for everybody," said Frerichs, a senior at MOC-Floyd Valley High School, who's involved in everything from jazz band to Quiz Bowl. When she came out, some students gave Frerichs a hard time. "I was getting a lot of guff for being a sinner. A lot of 'Are you a Christian?,' " including an e-mail telling her she would go to hell. Since the alliance started, she's heard fewer anti-gay comments. "Kids have become more aware that saying 'That's so gay' can make other kids uncomfortable," she said. At least a dozen Iowa school boards have added sexual orientation to their nondiscrimination policies. To make an important statement, all 365 should. For the same reason, the Iowa Legislature should reconsider a bill to treat bullying of children as a form of harassment and give explicit protection to students who are gay. [HEY NORTH CAROLINA... hint, hint} Parents, clergy and other adults, regardless of their personal views on homosexuality, can teach children to think about how their words make other people feel. Educators say kids often use "gay" to mean "stupid," without realizing they are equating gays with negative qualities. Mollman, now a University of Iowa student, said she tried to convey at the forum that every student deserves to feel safe at school. "There are students who wake up every morning, hesitant to go to school, and it shouldn't be that way." Who disagrees with that? Original Source: click here Portions in italics within the Op-Ed not original.

HRC to hold Gospel & Unity Celebration Concert in Raleigh

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Co-Chairs Sheryl Griffin and Stan Kimer invite you to join Human Rights Campaign members and our friends and allies of different races, ethnic backgrounds and religions to celebrate our common values and the progress being made toward fuller civil rights for gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender Americans. Date: Saturday, October 29, 2005 Time: Reception and Appetizers - 6:00 PM - Exploris Museum Concert Performance - 8:00 PM - Long View Center Place: Exploris Museum, Long View Center (adjacent to the Exploris Museum) 207 East Hargett St. Raleigh, NC Special Guests: This evening of entertainment, celebration and inspiration featuring appearances by: One Spirit choir - Unity Fellowship Church, Charlotte Imani Music Team soloists – Imani MCC, Durham St. John’s MCC soloists – St. John’s MCC, Raleigh 4 for Him quartet – St. John’s MCC Ray Vester – gospel singer Randa McNamara – jazz soloist Carol Lautier – performance poet Triangle Common Woman Chorus Rev. Wanda Floyd Rev. Tonya Rawls And other special guests Ticket Price & Info: $15 adult/$7.50 for children under 12 in advance at www.boxofficetickets.com/hrc. $20 at the door. Groups interested in blocks of 5 or more tickets, please contact Eddie McDaniel at 919-266-1585. For More Info: Sponsorship opportunities available, please contact Lorraine Johnson at planner@nc.rr.com or Jessica Lamb at lamb.jessica.c@principal.com.

TGSAN Rally Column from the NC State Technician

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High schoolers fight for change. Can we? Posted: 10.25.2005 Riche Wiley This weekend, I attended a rally in downtown Raleigh at the Capitol building that had the very distinct purpose of petitioning the state government/school board. Information concerning the rally and its purpose was sent across the state and advertised in local newspapers. There was live news coverage of this event and, as the day went on, more and more people showed up. Even students from Charlotte, N.C. made the drive all the way to Raleigh to attend this event and sign the petition. The petition that circulated among the crowd at the rally wishes to change the State Board of Education's current discrimination policy, and this event was planned completely by a small group of high school students in the Triangle Gay Straight Alliance Network (tgsan.org) with only a couple adults being used specifically as resources or free secretaries. The current discrimination policy currently states: "It is the priority of the State Board of Education to provide each and every student in North Carolina's public schools and public charter schools with a safe, orderly and caring learning environment that is free from harassment, bullying or discrimination." However, these students wish this policy was more explicit in what it was saying, and wish that a sentence be added, which states: "This includes, but is not limited to, students of any race, ethnicity, cultural background, ability, religion (creed), sex, socioeconomic status or actual or perceived gender identity or sexual orientation, as well as those who are associated with people identified by these categories." The reason these students are petitioning and making such a huge deal out of this addition, though it might seem redundant to some, considering the "each and every student" phrase in the current policy, is because with the current policy, a couple of these categories are almost completely forgotten in public schools. According to the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network, also known as GLSEN, currently 83.2 percent of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender students report being verbally harassed at school specifically because of their sexual identities, and 68.6 percent of these students report feeling unsafe in their school environment. Most of the public school systems today, whether accidentally or purposefully, forget or ignore that these students are being harassed in hallways, classrooms and bathrooms. Some of these students are beaten and spat upon, and nothing is done. Some of these schools tell the gay students that have been beaten or humiliated, "If you didn't act so gay, none of this would happen to you. Don't act so gay and you'll be all right." How many of you have been told, "If you don't act like yourself, you'll be all right and no one will beat the crap out of you everyday after school, and no one will kick you around in the bathroom and call you names. We don't have to do anything for you because you're acting like yourself, which is obviously wrong, so change it?" Probably, not many of you. But, in a small school here in the Triangle, that is basically what was said to a gay student. Personal opinion aside for just a moment (I think the change needs to be made), I was amazed at the effort put forth by these students for something they care so much about. I look around the college students I know and realize that most of them wouldn't even think of standing up for something they believe like that, out of fear or sheer laziness. And it's amazing to think that college students were supposed to be the students that affected these sorts of changes in the communities and in the government, as history definitely shows, but now, it has instead been left to the younger high school students. We're too busy having protests about whether or not we're really Sorostitutes because we do a little bit of volunteering, which is mandatory and not optional, which we complain about and then try to use as a placard stating our obvious non-Sorostituted-ness. (Side-note: Sorostitute really needs to be added to the word processor spell check files.) I think we, as college students, could use these high school students as role models. We need to bring back the days when college students brought change to the world by doing more than clogging up the Brickyard with ugly posters. High school students can fight for change. Can we? Original Source: http://technicianonline.com/story.php?id=012499

GSA faculty advisor resigns due to discrimination, harassment

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From 365gay.com News: Gay Club Advisor 'Harassed Into Resigning' Teaching Job by 365Gay.com Newscenter Staff Posted: October 25, 2005 12:01 am ET (Rocklin, California) A teacher who served as advisor to the Rocklin High School Gay Straight Alliance says she suffered so much harassment she has quit the job she loved. In an emotional resignation to the Rocklin Unified School District board Brandee Ambrosia called for a full investigation into what she called discrimination and retaliation for her involvement in the GSA. Several times Ambrosia broke down in tears. But at the end of her plea the board said it could do nothing to investigate her claims in light of the resignation. "After 11 years of teaching ... that was a very difficult decision to make," Ambrosia told the Sacramento Bee newspaper. "Yet I feel full of integrity that I stood up for kids, I stood up for myself and I stood up for what is right." Superintendent Kevin Brown said Ambrosia has been advised that she can pursue her complaint with the state Department of Education's Office of Civil Rights. Otherwise, the matter is considered closed. Ambrosia said that the school administration opposed the formation of a GSA last year. After she successfully fought to get it approved the certified history teacher's teaching assignment was changed without reason, she told the paper. She appealed the decision to the district saying she believed the change was motivated by bias because of her role in the GSA. The board reinstated her assignment but then this fall she was told by Principal Mike Garrison there were problems in her teaching. She filed a grievance with the district, again citing discrimination and it was denied. Ambrosia said she was left with no alternative but quit. The Bee reports that the resignation has shocked fellow teachers who held Ambrosia in high regard. Several teachers told the paper that they believe there is truth to Ambrosia's claims of discrimination. Original Source: http://www.365gay.com/newscon05/10/102505teacher.htm

Monday, October 24, 2005

Civil Rights pioneer, Rosa Parks Passes Away

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From MSNBC.com BREAKING NEWS Rosa Parks, matriarch of civil rights, dies at 92 Catalyst of U.S. drive for racial equality lived in Detroit Updated: 11:09 p.m. ET Oct. 24, 2005 DETROIT - Rosa Lee Parks, whose refusal to give up her bus seat to a white man sparked the modern civil rights movement, died Monday. She was 92. Mrs. Parks died at her home of natural causes, said Karen Morgan, a spokeswoman for U.S. Rep. John Conyers, D-Mich. Mrs. Parks was 42 when she committed an act of defiance in 1955 that was to change the course of American history and earn her the title “mother of the civil rights movement.” At that time, Jim Crow laws in place since the post-Civil War Reconstruction required separation of the races in buses, restaurants and public accommodations throughout the South, while legally sanctioned racial discrimination kept blacks out of many jobs and neighborhoods in the North. The Montgomery, Ala., seamstress, an active member of the local chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, was riding on a city bus Dec. 1, 1955, when a white man demanded her seat. Mrs. Parks refused, despite rules requiring black Americans to yield their seats to whites. Two black Montgomery women had been arrested earlier that year on the same charge, but Mrs. Parks was jailed. She also was fined $14. Speaking in 1992, she said history too often maintains “that my feet were hurting and I didn’t know why I refused to stand up when they told me. But the real reason of my not standing up was I felt that I had a right to be treated as any other passenger. We had endured that kind of treatment for too long.” For more on this story visit: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/9809237/

Third-World Anglicans meet to discuss issues, challege Church & threaten schism

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From 365gay.com News: Third World Anglicans Mount New Gay Challenge To Church by Peter Murphy, Associated Press Posted: October 24, 2005 3:00 pm ET (Cairo) The agenda for this week's gathering of conservative Anglican clerics from the third world includes dialogue with Islam and fighting poverty. But the wider message is expected to be protest: Another frontal attack against gay clergy and same-sex unions that threaten to break apart the world's 77 million-member Anglican communion. The six-day meeting, beginning Tuesday in Egypt, will bring together some of the leading opponents of liberalizing trends and highlight the growing strength of Africa and other places outside the traditional Anglican spheres of influence in England and North America. More than 120 conservative clerics and loyalists are expected from across the so-called Anglican "south" - Africa, Asia and Latin America - who have increasingly warned they could form independent, breakaway churches. The tensions have become so alarming that the leader of the Anglican communion, Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams, plans to travel to Egypt in an apparent attempt to calm dissent led by powerful Nigerian Archbishop Peter Akinola (pictured). "The establishment is desperate to keep together the communion," said George Curry, chairman of the Church Society, a conservative lay and clergy Anglican group based in Watford, England. "But the liberals are unwilling to revisit or invalidate the movements that the conservatives find intolerable. This tolerance has been stretched to the breaking point." An eventual breakup would be the most stunning fallout from struggles over gay issues that also have gripped Roman Catholics, Lutherans and other churches. It would create a range of new congregations able to veer in even greater conservative or liberal directions and end the English guidance over a church founded in the 16th century by King Henry VIII and spread around the world by the British Empire. To read the full article visit: http://www.365gay.com/newscon05/10/102405anglicans.htm

Utah Op-Ed: Should a Gay-Straight Alliance be allowed in a high school?

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From the Daily Herald (Provo, Utah) Herald poll response Gay-straight alliance The Daily Herald Editor's note: The Daily Herald asked readers if a gay-straight alliance should be approved at Provo High School. Here are the comments we received: Homosexuality a 'lifestyle,' not a fleeting interest Comparing homosexual clubs to any of the other types of clubs that you mention is like comparing apples and oranges. By their own claims, homosexuals are born that way and cannot change their sexual lifestyle, no matter what. Therefore their lifestyle interests and desires will always be there and they will always want to gather with others like themselves. The other clubs have members who may outgrow their interests and will get on with their lives and other interests. Homosexuality cannot and will not join the "shifting sands of student interest" you speak of, nor will the club. Gary Macomber, Salem Provo residents must stand up, speak out against club People voicing their opinion can make a difference. When the definition of family was challenged, the first-ever Mayday for Marriage rally on Oct. 15, 2004, organized by Ken Hutcherson, an African-American pastor from Seattle, drew a crowd from across the country of an estimated 140,000 to Washington, D.C. What did they do when they were told to do nothing about it? We think all students are free to participate in clubs organized for subjects of educational or recreational interests at Provo High. There is no need for the creation of a club promoting this political agenda. Erin and Carolyn Flinders, Provo Gay-straight club's opponents try to force views on others Yes, they should allow the club to go forward. People say that they don't want the views pushed in their face, or in their children's faces, but living here in Utah I get Mormonism pushed in my face everyday. Even when I don't want to hear it. The LDS Church tries to make every law here in Utah like LDS commandments. Doesn't anyone remember the saying that you shouldn't mix law with religion? Tonya Johnson, Salt Lake City Accommodating different people not hurting society According to numerous studies, 10 percent of people throughout the world will grow up to be sexually attracted to those of the same gender. This percentage is about the same as those born left-handed. It has always been this way and will always be. No one knows why, but here's what I do know, that 10 percent of our community doesn't deserve to be alienated simply for being slightly different through no fault of their own. Many accommodations have been made for we who are left-handed. The gay and lesbian citizens of this country deserve the same respect. Charles Anderson, Orem Taxpayers shouldn't pay bill for gay-straight alliance When I went to high school in the early '40s, we never suggested at any time having a gay club at our high school because we knew it wouldn't be tolerated in our schools. After reading about the gay club at Provo High School, as a taxpayer supporting education I am thoroughly disgusted. I just hope they aren't using my money to support that gay club in any way, shape or form. What happened to the good old days when the principals and teachers were supported in making the rules and giving our children a good quality education? Elvin Loader, Provo This story appeared in The Daily Herald on page A5. Original Source: http://www.newutah.com/modules.php?op=modload&name=News&file=article&sid=67166 ====== You know, there is a reason why many American's think of nothing but radically conservative religious zealots when they look at Utah. The things which have been said about the new gay-straight alliance at Provo High School is nothing but sickening.

Maine gay rights referendum includes protections for transgender citizens

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From the Washington Blade: Transgender rights at stake in Maine referendum Gender identity or expression protected in new law AUGUSTA, Maine (AP) | Oct 24, 7:56 PM If voters in November keep the state's gay rights law, Maine would be the seventh state to bar discrimination against transgender people as well as gays and lesbians. Maine voters will decide Nov. 8 whether Maine law should bar discrimination based on sexual orientation in employment, credit, housing, public accommodations or education. The law defines sexual orientation as "a person's actual or perceived heterosexuality, bisexuality, homosexuality or gender identity or expression." The inclusion of "gender identity or expression" means the law protects Mainers who have changed sex, as well as those who see themselves as belonging to the other gender but have not actually changed. Supporters of the Maine law say it is important to include transgender people because a law that bans discrimination against gays and lesbians without protecting transsexuals and others is not comprehensive and makes arbitrary distinctions. Marty Hagglund of Farmingdale, who underwent a sex-change operation in 1998 to become a woman, said most voters don't know what transgender means or how the law would help transgender people such as her. "On a scale of one to 10, this (language) is a 20" in importance to transgender people, Hagglund said. "We're being discriminated against. It's for real. It's not a figment of our imaginations." Opponents say it is problematic to include transgender people in the law. They predict, for example, that a job applicant who gets hired as a man and shows up for work dressed as a woman will be legally protected. So will a man who dresses as a woman and insists on using a women's restroom, they say. "You can't legally define" actual or perceived gender identity or expression, so "the whole thing is a can of worms," said Tim Russell of the Christian Civic League of Maine, which is fighting the law. Protecting transgender people is nothing less than "redefining the norms on a global scale," said Paul Madore of the Maine Grassroots Coalition, which opposes the law. The Legislature passed the gay rights law earlier this year, but opponents collected enough signatures to force a statewide vote on the issue. Wisconsin was the first state to adopt a gay rights law in 1982, but it wasn't until 1993 that Minnesota became the first state to outlaw discrimination based not only on sexual orientation but also on gender identity, according to the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force. Rhode Island followed suit in 2001 when it added "gender identity" safeguards to its laws. New Mexico and California did the same in 2003, followed by Hawaii, Illinois and Maine in 2005. The District of Columbia has a similar law. Officials in Minnesota and Rhode Island, where laws protecting transgender people have been in place the longest, report relatively few discrimination complaints based on gender identity or expression. In Minnesota, the state received 40 discrimination complaints based on sexual orientation in 2004, and only four of those involved charges of transgender discrimination. Rhode Island has received only two transgender discrimination complaints since the law was enacted, and the Rhode Island Commission for Human Rights did not find probable cause in either case, according to Michael Evora, the commission's executive director. Original Source: http://www.washblade.com/thelatest/thelatest.cfm?blog_id=3138

Maine Episcopalians back gay rights

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From the Bangor Daily News (Maine): Church backs rights for gays Monday, October 24, 2005 - Bangor Daily News Shield of the Episcopal Church in the United States of AmericaBANGOR - Episcopalians on Friday overwhelmingly endorsed equal rights for gays and lesbians at the their annual convention held at the Bangor Civic Center, but stopped short of urging residents to vote no on Question 1 on Nov. 8. The original language of the resolution, which included calling "upon all citizens to vote no this November 8th on Proposition #1," could have affected the tax-exempt status of the Diocese of Maine. "Our chancellor pointed out that by urging people to vote one way or the other, we were functioning as a [political action committee]," said Heidi Shott, communications officer for the diocese. "So the resolution was amended." Question 1 on the ballot will read: "Do you want to reject the new law that would protect people from discrimination in employment, housing, education, public accommodations and credit based on their sexual orientation?" A controversy over homosexuality has divided the Anglican Communion, of which the Episcopal Church in the United States is a part, for more than two years. The dispute was ignited two years ago when V. Gene Robinson was elected by the New Hampshire diocese as the first openly gay bishop in the world. Maine Bishop Chilton Knudsen spoke Friday of the controversy in her convention address. "I want to tell you that there isn't a doubt in the world that it is a tense time in the Anglican Communion," she said. "It's been tense before, and it will be tense again. We are promised not unanimity of opinion but the grace of God to struggle to live in the tension of differences." To read the full article visit: http://www.bangornews.com/news/templates/?a=122482

Gay Democrats create African-American Caucus

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According to an article on 365gay.com, Stonewall Democrats, the national group for LGBT Democrats, established teh Stonewall Democrats Black Caucus last week in order to reach out and recognize the needs of the African-American community. The goal of the new caucus will be to increase the participation of Black LGBT Democrats within the party and to shape public policy impacting the Black LGBT community. According to the article:
"The Republican Party is using social scare tactics to exploit the Black community at the expense of Black LGBT Americans," said Jasmyne Cannick, the newly installed Co-Chair of the Stonewall Democrats Black Caucus. "The Stonewall Democrats Black Caucus will help refocus political discussion on real issues impacting the Black community while pressing the Democratic Party and LGBT community to address specific concerns of Black LGBT Americans." Cannick, of Los Angeles, is a member of the National Association of Black Journalists. She was recently named by Essence magazine as 'One of 25 Women Changing the World'. She also is a board member of the National Black Justice Coalition, the national Black gay civil rights group. The Stonewall Democrats Black Caucus will be co-chaired by Ramone Gardenhire of Washington, DC. Gardenhire served as Deputy Director of GLBT Outreach for the Democratic National Committee for the 2004 election and currently serves on the Board of Directors for DC Black Pride. He said that the caucus will focus on five key areas.It will promote legislation with a specific focus on Black LGBT communities, increase the number of active Black LGBT Democrats within Stonewall and its chapters, provide National Stonewall Democrats with information on legislative issues as they relate to Black communities, provide political influence with Black elected officials on behalf of Stonewall members and foster relationships between the Black LGBT community and Black civil rights organizations.
====== In my opinion, it is not the bisexual community or the transgender community which are the most overlooked within the Gay Rights Movement... it is instead the Black LGBT community. African-Americans who are LGBT are more than often overlooked and many feel as though organizations such as the Stonewall Democrats and the Human Rights Campaign are for wealthy, white, gay males. It is about time that a national LGBT political organization took the time to recognize the needs of the Black LGBT community. LGBT African-Americans have a lot to bring to the table... fromt their experiences of being black in a racist society to their experiences of being LGBT in homophobic society. Good going, Stonewall Dems!

HRC names the "Top 10" straight advocates of LGBT equality

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According to an article published by Q-Notes, the "leading gay and lesbian news source of the Carolinas," the Human Rights Campaign (HRC) has named its "Top 10" list of straight advocates of the LGBT community. The list was originally published by the HRC on National Coming Out Day, a project which the group runs. National Coming Out Day occurs on October 11th and is one of the LGBT community's largest nationwide organizing, action and celebratory events. According to the article:
Included in the list are actress Kristin Chenoweth, the Rev. Al Sharpton, Salt Lake City Mayor Rocky Anderson, actress Felicity Huffman, talk show host Cristina Saralegui, the Rev. Norm Kansfield, Peter Hams, IBM executive Ted Childs, hip-hop artist Kanye West and Spanish Prime Minister José Luis Zapatero. "Being out and open about our lives is not just for gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgender people, but for everyone who cares about equality," said HRC President Joe Solmonese. "These 10 leaders for fairness represent millions of family members, people of faith, friends and co-workers who are helping make America fairer and more equal." The list emphasizes this year's Coming Out Project theme "Talk About It," which encourages fair-minded people to talk openly and honestly about their lives and the inequalities LGBT Americans face under law. "Every single time we talk about it, we are one step closer to equality," said Solmonese. "Each word helps build bridges that change hearts and minds - and eventually our laws." "We need to tear down the barriers that separate us," said Sharpton. "I am honored not only to be named on this list, but also to stand with my gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender brothers and sisters to end hatred and intolerance wherever they live."
To see the full "Top 10" list visit: http://www.q-notes.com/top01_102205.html

Sunday, October 23, 2005

A Conservative Approach to Marriage Equality

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Although, in my opinion, she still shows some bias against homosexuality... its a good look at the conservative side of support for marriage equality: Gay marriage, big whoop By Samantha Swindler - editor@jacksonvilleprogress.com The Jacksonville Progress, October 23, 2005 Proposition 2, sponsored by our District 3 Rep. Sen. Todd Staples, is a proposed Texas Constitutional amendment which states that in Texas, marriage consists only of the union between one man and one woman. It basically backs up the Defense of Marriage Act passed by the state legislature in 2003 which banned same-sex marriage in the state of Texas. By making gay marriage unconstitutional, Texas judges cannot interpret laws to favor same-sex marriages in their own courts. I've thought a lot this week about same-sex marriages and came to this conclusion - I don't care. What people do in the privacy of their home between consenting adults is no business of mine. Be gay, be bisexual, be straight. Whatever. As long as I don't have to see any public displays of affection from anybody, I don't care. But for Prop. 2, Staples argued that allowing people the right to “personal affairs” without persecution is a different issue than condoning the behavior and recognizing a gay relationship as a marriage. OK. So, who owns the idea of marriage? I think “marriage” belongs to the church, any church, and lawmakers have no right to lay claim to it. The state should have never gotten into the business of marriages. Marriage is a union before God. It's a sacrament of the church. If a church bans or accepts gay marriages, it has a right to do that. That's something decided among church leaders and closed to government criticism. It's sort like a private club with private rules. The government should only recognize things called “civil unions” - and that doesn't mean anything more than two people are sharing bank accounts, are entitled to health benefits, and can file income taxes jointly. It's win-win. Marriage can belong solely to the church. Nobody feels their rights are infringed upon. A couple can have a big white wedding in a cathedral, but it doesn't mean the government gets involved until they go down and file paperwork at the county courthouse. Other religious sacraments aren't government sanctioned. You don't file at the courthouse when you get baptized. The only reason people register marriages is because it affects taxes, inheritance and bank accounts - civil things. It shouldn't have anything to do with the government's endorsement of Judeo-Christian values. One argument for Prop. 2 is that this ban is “defending” the sanctity of marriage, but I can't imagine that fathers and mothers are going to abandon their families and run off to join the “Gay Circus” just because they can. For the record, Massachusetts - home of The Original Gay Wedding - has the lowest divorce rate in the nation (Boston Globe, Oct. 31, 2004, edition.) To quote the Globe, “At latest count it had a divorce rate of 2.4 per 1,000 population, while the rate for Texas was 4.1.” Say what you will about Massachusetts (I know, there is plenty to say), but it seems they're doing a pretty good job of defending marriage. East Texas, however, seems to have a real problem with domestic violence, adultery, child abuse and the like. There are many factors that contribute to these problems, but I seriously doubt a rise in the homosexual population has anything to do with it, nor will this defense of marriage proposition do anything to address these real issues. There is a moral issue involved here that is the white elephant in the corner. Americans are afforded the liberty to hold to any religious belief, including the one that homosexuality is a mortal sin. But, it is a slippery slope when the state gets mixed up in moral issues. Moral issues - ones that don't involve physical or monetary harm to others - are for the church to decide. The government should stick to concerns about income tax filings, which would be a good reason to limit civil unions to being between two people, for simplicity reasons. You don't want this to get out of hand. Religious beliefs are based on faith, something that cannot be proved or disproved with fact - that can be healthy for the soul, but not for a state legislature. Original Source: http://www.jacksonvilleprogress.com/articles /2005/10/23/opinion/opinion02.txt

Homosexuality.... Intelligent Design?

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From the Raleigh News & Observer Letters to the Editor If it's not evolution... I have to agree with Dennis Rogers about homosexuality ("Old truth in young gays," Oct. 15). Homosexuality is very complex behavior; it appears in every generation, in every culture and in many species besides our own. It can't be a product of evolution because homosexuals don't reproduce. Homosexuality must be a product of Intelligent Design. Steve Klein Raleigh October 21, 2005 Original Source: http://www.newsobserver.com/opinion/ letters/story/2820883p-9268347c.html Here's the column, the letter writer is referring to: Old truth in young gays By DENNIS ROGERS, Staff Writer October 15, 2005 Did God make a mistake? I don't mean with giraffes, penguins or even the 1976 AMC Pacer. He obviously created those for the giggles. I mean with gay people. There's a proposal before the State Board of Education that says school guidance counselors and social workers should know how to deal with all sorts of discrimination students may face, including sex roles as well as race, creed and national origin. Professionals say it would help counselors and social workers do a better job if universities would include sexual orientation and gender identity training in their education counseling curriculum. That reasonable suggestion set those who proudly proclaim themselves guardians of "traditional family values" howling with outrage. "The North Carolina Family Policy Council agrees wholeheartedly that each person should be respected," read one letter to the state school board. "However, not all forms of diversity should be supported." Neat trick, that. It's difficult to be respectful to those you consider teenage sex perverts. So the question remains: Did God make a mistake when he made gay people? If he created everything else, as the anti-evolutionists on the religious right argue, wouldn't that include homosexuals, too? And would he have made so many of them if he didn't love them? I mean, they're everywhere. You can hardly swing a cat without hitting one. Not that you should do that. If God didn't make them, how'd they get here? No gay person I've known said they woke up one morning and decided to play for the other team, so to speak. From what I've observed and read, sexual orientation is determined before birth. Choice has nothing to do with it, the smart people say. It pretty much comes down to this: You're born gay or you're not. You may fake it for a while, but inside, you know. If God made some people gay, do we really want to risk his considerable wrath by condemning them? Seems a dangerous thing to do, given the comments by some fundamentalist religious leaders lately that God sends natural disasters to punish people who irritate him. As Noah asked his neighbor in a Bill Cosby routine, "How long can you tread water?" Yes, I know, there's that Leviticus chapter 20, verse 13 thing in the Bible about how gay people are an abomination. Interesting cat, Leviticus. If he got it right, God is also not crazy about tattoos (19:28), pork chops (11:7-8) or fried shrimp platters (11:10-11). And woe unto neighbors who get a little too friendly (20:10). And what was it Jesus said about homosexuality? That's right, nothing. Imagine that. Maybe when Jesus, who went out of his way to embrace societal outcasts like Mary Magdalene, said, "Judge not, lest ye be judged," he really meant what he said. And what was it he said about children? Something about "Suffer the little children to come unto me"? Wise counselors have been doing that for years, lending a sympathetic ear and offering compassionate advice to questioning kids. The state should give them the help they need to do so with all God's children, not just the ones approved by the Family Policy Council. Dennis Rogers can be reached at 829-4750 or drogers@newsobserver.com. Original Source: http://www.newsobserver.com/news/ columnist/story/2817993p-9264471c.html