GLBT News

[Kiwiccan]

www.rense.com/general21/deaflesbians.htm



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Deaf Lesbians Criticized For

Efforts To Create Deaf Child

By Matt Pyeatt

CNSNews.com Staff Writer

4-2-2



(CNSNews.com) - A leading pro-family organization is questioning attempts by a Suburban Washington, D.C. lesbian couple to deliberately create a deaf child.



Candy McCullough and Sharon Duchesneau of North Bethesda, Md. said they did everything possible to make sure their newborn son is deaf by specifically seeking and obtaining a sperm donor for artificial insemination who has a lengthy family history of deafness.



But one group has made it clear it disagrees with the women's choice to produce children with disabilities, not to mention raising them in a homosexual household.



"This couple has effectively decided that their desire to have a deaf child is of more concern to them than is the burden they are placing on their son," Ken Connor, president of the Family Research Council, said.



"To intentionally give a child a disability, in addition to all the disadvantages that come as a result of being raised in a homosexual household, is incredibly selfish," Connor said.



McCullough and Duchesneau, who were featured in a cover story of the Washington Post Magazine March 31, already have a daughter who was designed to be deaf and they're hoping their son Gauvin is deaf as well. Duchesneau is the mother of both children.



Because the child is a newborn infant, it will take several months until an audiologist can determine whether Gauvin can or cannot hear.



The women, however, insisted that it is not of utmost important that Gauvin is deaf, but they would like their son to have the same disability as the rest of the family.



Duchesneau hopes the family's deafness stays intact. "He'd be the only hearing member of the family. Other than the cats," she told the Washington Post Magazine.



McCullough was more direct in her hopes that their son would be deaf. "I would say that we wanted to increase our chances of having a baby who is deaf," she said in an interview with the Post.



But Connor said it was wrong to attempt to produce a deaf child and that serious challenges against the traditional definition of family were taking place.



"This reduces the father to a mere inseminator, raises the prospects of donor shopping and designer genes, and turns a baby into a trophy," Connor said.



An official with the Family Research Council said the group's opposition to deliberately creating deaf children would not change if the couple were heterosexual.



McCullough told the Post that families should have the right to seek sperm donors from anyone in order to be comfortable with the culture of the family.



"Some people look at it like, 'Oh my gosh, you shouldn't have a child who has a disability'. But, you know, black people have harder lives. Why shouldn't parents be able to go ahead and pick a black donor if that's what they want," McCullough asked rhetorically.



"They should have that option. They can feel related to that culture, bonded with that culture," McCullough said.



But Connor disagrees when it comes to deliberately trying to create children with the burdens of physical disabilities.



"We've seen many parents try to ensure they create children possessing a certain trait, however, this couple has sought to create a child so that he does not possess a certain trait - in this case, the ability to hear," Connor said. sb100sa100 "One can only hope that this practice of intentionally manufacturing disabled children in order to fit the lifestyles of the parents will not progress any further," Connor said.



The women were quick to point out that they would not be disappointed if Gauvin could hear but were just as clear in telling the Post that they preferred him to be deaf.



"A hearing baby would be a blessing," Duchesneau said. "A deaf baby would be a special blessing."



Connor hopes the practice of designing babies is stopped. "The places this slippery slope could lead are frightening," he said.

[concrete]

Erm, it may be none of my business but shouldn't this be in the "GLBT News" thread? It was an interesting article but I was sure I read it b4.....



----- It's not so much that I'm always right, it's just that I'm never wrong.....

[Moridin]

I dont know where it should be, but it personally scares me. I'm all for allowing gay's to be parents, but to deliberatly try to make the child deaf? Thats just cruel imo. And agree with the the guy at the end, the whole designerbabies thing while it can lead to good things, has the potential to lead to very bad things.

[The Shadowcat]

Quote:

---

Now, I have to go on an angry rant. To me, this incident was not small potatoes. Why is there no national news coverage? I think that this is particularly frustrating because it falls in the wake of all of the attention Matthew Shepherd's death has been getting with the network movie about his death and the HBO release of the Laramie Project, as well as Rosie's recent coming out interviews. WTF!!! Is it because she is a child, and people don't want to confront children who are gay and lesbians? Is it because she is a female? Is it because she didn't die, or because her crime wasn't heinous enough in the eyes of the newsmedia?

---

I totally agree. In fact, I think that I'm going to write to my local new stations with this story. It's intolerable that this not only happened, but that the police and community don't seem to care. Word has been spread to the GLBT community about the attack. Now we have to make the rest of the world hear about it.



I found this interview in my mailbox this morning. It's with the girl that was attacked.

Quote:

---

============================================================

GenderPAC National News: An Interview with April Mora

============================================================



"It's as if --if I want to look like a guy, I should get beat up like a guy."



On March 27, in Denver, CO, 17 year-old April Mora was attacked by four men who allegedly jumped out of a car and slashed her with razor blades -- carving "dyke" into her forearm, and "R.I.P." onto her stomach.



GenderPAC National News interviewed Mora at the home of her girlfriend, Dominicque Quintana, where she lives full-time, and asked her about the incident. Present also was Denise (Dede) de Percin, Executive Director of the Colorado Anti-Violence Program, who arranged the interview and who has been instrumental in focusing public and media awareness on the assault.



GENDERPAC National News: First, we'd like to express our sympathies. This was a terrible attack, and we're relieved that you're recovering okay.



APRIL MORA: Thank you.



GNN: Can you tell what happened in your own words?



AM: I was walking down the street to go get a pop. I heard a car coming -- it was a really nice car -- so I moved aside so it could pass. As it went along, the guys were looking at me, and one of the guys called me a "dyke." I gave them a dirty look.



And that's when two of the guys jumped out and tackled me to the ground, held me down and carved something into me. I couldn't see what they carved into me until I got back to the house. They were holding a knife to my throat, telling me I was lucky they didn't rape me. Then they stood up and kicked me and that's when they climbed back into the car and took off.



GNN: Why do you think they singled you out?



AM: They were staring to see what I was. Because I don't look like other girls. White sleeveless shirt and jeans. I have short, short hair, shaved around the side, a pieced lip.



GNN: Were there other people around who could come to your help?



AM: I couldn't see because I had blood in my eyes. I was bumping into things getting back to the house.



GNN: We know you later received emergency treatment, but what was the first thing you did when you went home?



AM: I went into the closest room and told my girlfriend's little sister to call as many people as she could.



GNN: We've heard that the police have been unsympathetic, treating you more like a perpetrator than the victim.



AM: They just think that I did it to myself. They don't care about it.



GNN: Why do you think that is?



AM: I think they're saying that because I choose to look like this, I deserve it or something. It's as if --if I want to look like a guy, I should get beat up like a guy.



GNN: And you feel you should have the right to look the way you do.



AM: If the people don't like the way I look, they shouldn't have anything to do with me, they shouldn't come around me.



GNN: How do you think this is related to your being a lesbian?



AM: I think that guys like the ones who did this to me think that any girl who has short hair like mine must be gay.



GNN: Has this happened to you before -- being targeted because of your appearance?



AM: Yes. Fistfights, when we used to live in the projects. I'm black and Indian, but I look Chicano. I think if we were white the cops and people would treat us differently. It's also because of where we live. It's not the best section in town.



GNN: What do you want to say to other teenage girls who read this, who may look like you?



AM: I want to tell them not to be scared of other people, to look how you want to look. I'm not going to change how I look. If they don't like it, then don't come around here any more. I'm not being intimidated. I'm afraid to go out, but I'm not going to change the way I look.



Denise de Percin: For members of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community, every assault confirms both our fears and our experiences - that we are not safe, even in our own neighborhoods and communities."



(The Colorado Anti-Violence Project can be contacted at: Denise de Percin, Executive Phone: 303.839.5204 or 720.270.1368 )



=============================================================

About the Gender Public Advocacy Coalition

=============================================================



The Gender Public Advocacy Coalition (GenderPAC) is the national organization working to end discrimination and violence caused by gender stereotypes.



GenderPAC changes public attitudes, educates elected officials, and expands legal rights.



GenderPAC's goal is safer communities, fairer workplaces, and schools where all children are valued and respected.



GenderPAC also promotes understanding of the connection between gender stereotypes and discrimination based on age, race, and class.



For information on joining GPAC, please visit us at: http://www.gpac.org/join



-----------------------------------

(c) GenderPAC, 2002

http://www.gpac.org

202.462.6610

-----------------------------------

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Anya: I swear I'm just trying to find my necklace.


Willow: Did you look under the sofa... *in Hell* ?!?!


--Dopplegangland

[dusty]

Quote:

---

I dont know where it should be, but it personally scares me. I'm all for allowing gay's to be parents, but to deliberatly try to make the child deaf? Thats just cruel imo. And agree with the the guy at the end, the whole designerbabies thing while it can lead to good things, has the potential to lead to very bad things.

---

That was my reaction at first, but like they said in the article (I think it was in the longer one that was linked earlier), they aren't "deafening" this child, because there is no way this child could be other than it was. They aren't making a hearing child deaf, just giving life to a child that couldn't be anything but deaf. By using a hearing donor, they could have had a hearing child, but it wouldn't have been the same one. I don't see anything wrong with them using a deaf donor. I would definitely want my children to be able to hear, because hearing is so important to me, but I can understand why they want their child to be like them. They obviously have full and happy lives and there's no reason their kids can't as well. Also, a hearing child would be at quite a disadvantage with two deaf parents, and would have to have extensive outside training to learn to speak. I'm sure they could manage this if they had a hearing child, but I can understand why they want a deaf one.

it's a romantic comedy of one
aim:starfish sarah

[the literary exterminator]

Sigh ... I miss my old college.

[DaffyQDuck]

Good news, but a whiner objects to it.



Montgomery Seeks Tax Deal For Gay Couples

Council Votes to Lift Property Transfer Levy



By Jo Becker

Washington Post Staff Writer

Wednesday, April 3, 2002; Page B08



The Montgomery County Council voted yesterday to give gay partners the same real estate tax break received by married couples.



Gay residents who transfer property into the name of a domestic partner will no longer have to pay a real estate tax levied when property changes hands. The provision was unanimously approved as part of a measure codifying a county practice that exempts spouses, former spouses and close relatives of property owners from the tax.



County Executive Douglas M. Duncan (D) is likely to sign the bill, said his spokesman, David Weaver. It would then take effect immediately.



"This is a recognition of the fact that we're living in the 21st century, not the 19th," said council President Steven A. Silverman (D-At Large).



The move is part of a national trend to put gay couples on equal footing with married heterosexuals.



Eight states and 128 local jurisdictions, including Montgomery County, extend health benefits to the live-in partners of gay government employees. Last year, Montgomery County also ratified a police labor contract that extends health and retirement benefits to homosexual and heterosexual domestic partners.



Only three other jurisdictions, however, have extended real estate transfer tax breaks to gay residents: Philadelphia, Sacramento and Oakland, Calif. A spokesman for the Human Rights Campaign, a national gay rights group based in the District, said Montgomery County's tax break approach was "relatively new and rare."



"There's a growing awareness of gay families and how laws need to be addressed to recognize them," David Smith said. "This is just another illustration of the fact that people who are married have a myriad of rights, including tax breaks, that gay people don't because of a lack of legal recognition."



But social conservatives and some religious groups view yesterday's council action as an attack on the sanctity of marriage and have mounted a national legal campaign against extending such rights to unmarried couples.



"We believe that government should not promote homosexuality as normative using tax benefits, but should promote marriage between a man and a woman," said Peter LaBarbera, senior policy analyst for the Culture and Family Institute, an affiliate of the D.C.-based Concerned Women for America. "And where does it stop? Next you'll see unmarried heterosexual couples asking for the same thing." The measure would not apply to unmarried heterosexual couples.



In Montgomery, the provision was pushed not by gay rights organizations but by the Greater Capital Association of Realtors.



Meredith Weisel, a lobbyist for the group, said real estate brokers saw it as a fair housing issue.



"In most states, gay and lesbian couples aren't allowed to marry," she said. "We think that when they transfer property, they should be entitled to the same rights as married couples, children or relatives."



To qualify for the tax break, gay couples will have to meet certain requirements. Generally, they will have to prove that they share a close personal relationship, are responsible for each other's welfare, have shared the same legal residence for at least 12 months and have intertwined finances.



The bill also makes clear that spouses, former spouses, children, stepchildren, parents, stepparents, sons-in-law, daughters-in-law, stepsons-in-law, stepdaughters-in-law, grandchildren, and step-grandchildren are exempt from the transfer tax.



It is unclear what the change will cost the county -- estimates range from $450,000 to $2 million in lost annual revenue. The transfer tax is 1 percent of the value of all residential improved property over $70,000. For instance, the tax on a $175,000 home would be $1,750.





© 2002 The Washington Post Company

I'm Cletus the slack-jawed yokel - Willow

[the literary exterminator]

I'm not sure what to think about this article. For some reason, though, I can't get the SNL Kandahar song out of my head while reading it...

[Dazey]

Quote:

---

"Some people look at it like, 'Oh my gosh, you shouldn't have a child who has a disability'. But, you know, black people have harder lives. Why shouldn't parents be able to go ahead and pick a black donor if that's what they want," McCullough asked rhetorically.

---

Am I the only one deeply disturbed by this woman's implication that blackness is a disability? There is nothing inherently difficult about being black. It is our culture and nothing else that makes it so. There are inherent difficulties, major ones, in being deaf. It's a rancid analogy. I'm really not sure where these women are coming from.



And this from an earlier post:

Quote:

---

In another case, a transsexual traveling first class was pulled out of line as she was about to board, subjected to a pat-down and luggage search, and mocked by security personnel while they examined her (female) ID. Airline management on the scene declined to respond to her complaints. "How many fundamentalist Islamic terrorists did they think traveled first class and have had sex-reassignment surgery so they can be female?" she asked. "They just didn't like that I was transgender."

---

Hmm. First of all, what is so significant about her traveling first-class that both she and the writer felt compelled to mention it? Is this supposed to indicate that she is somehow superior to us unwashed masses who can only afford coach? And that therefore she should be immune from being searched by security personnel? That's how it reads to me. It smacks of classism, and I am disinclined to be sympathetic towards classists, be they transgender or otherwise. Pre-boarding patdowns and luggage searches are a fact of life now; get used to it. The last time I flew, I started talking to this guy in Newark Airport...as we were boarding our flight to Chicago, he, along with several other people, was pulled out of line to be searched. Then in Chicago, as we were boarding our Oakland-bound flight, I got pulled out of line and searched. So did several others. In neither case did the reasons for anyone being pulled out appear to be anything other than random.



I'd be interested to know exactly how the security people "mocked" this woman. Because, while I am fully aware that discrimination against the transgendered is quite real, I suspect that may not be what happened here. I think this woman was just peeved that her first-class ticket didn't provide her immunity from being searched, and decided that "[t]hey just didn't like that [she] was transgender".

[maudmac]

Right. It seems like the tone of the article is, "Let's get over this oppressing women shit so the men won't have to be gay."



Bluh. The way they talk about men with halekon sounds like NAMBLA would feel right at home. Sort of.



However, being someone who is attracted to women, I can appreciate that it would be difficult to be attracted to women in burqas, women you can't even see. Furthermore, it's not just a matter of physical attraction, men can't even talk to these women. How can you be attracted to an individual woman with whom you can have no interaction? Who knows, I might even resort to having sex with men in an environment like that.



Interesting sidenote: I recently worked with a Muslim woman who wore hijab. The kind she wore covered everything but her eyes. (I think there's another word for that, but I don't remember what it is.) She got hit on by more customers than all the rest of us put together. There we are in shorts, t-shirts, sandals, etc. And there she is with only her eyes and hands visible. And she gets the googly eyes and propositions. We all talked about it and theorized that it was because our society is so saturated with images of nearly naked women that men were intrigued by the mystery of her, attracted to her precisely because she seemed so inaccessible. Or something like that.



Edited to say: Go Flaming O!!!

------------------------------
Our greatest glory is not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall.
--- Confucius

Edited by: maudmac at: 4/4/02 8:56:03 pm

[The Shadowcat]

This isn't quite GLBT related, but it's scary enough that I feel a need to mention it. BTW, I do not mean to disturb people with all of these articles. They are only meant to open eyes, not send people into hiding.

Quote:

---

H.R. 2357 ACHIEVES RECORD CO-SPONSORSHIP



In early October, The Interfaith Alliance (TIA) alerted you to the introduction of two stealth Religious Right bills in the Congress: H.R. 2357, The House of Worship Political Speech Protection Act, and H.R. 2931, The Bright-Line Act of 2001. Both of these bills would allow houses of worship to actively participate in - and contribute church funds to - political activities.



At the time of TIA`s alert, U.S. Rep. Walter Jones Jr. (R-N.C.), the architect of H.R. 2357, had managed to attract 76 congressional colleagues to join him as co-sponsors.



In an alarming development, Jones has now managed to achieve the co-sponsorship of 113 members of Congress. Through means such as Pat Robertson`s 700 Club and the direct mail solicitations of the Family Research Council and the Christian Coalition, Jones has effectively built conservative grassroots support for H.R. 2357.



While the bill is still sitting in the House Ways and Means Committee and there has not been an official date set for a vote, it is being reported that the bill will possibly be voted on sometime in April. There are seven members of the Ways and Means Committee that have signed on to co-sponsor the bill.



TIA is monitoring this bill closely and will alert you to further opportunities for grassroots advocacy. To see if your member of Congress is a co-sponsor, please visit: thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bd...02357:@@@P



TEN COMMANDMENTS DISPLAYED IN U.S. CONGRESS?



In related news, Rep. Brian Kerns (R-IN) introduced H.C.R. 315, the Ten Commandments Public Display Resolution of 2002, which would makes provisions for posting the text of the Ten Commandments in both chambers of Congress. The resolution, which has attracted the strong backing of the Religious Right, was recently referred to the House Committee on Administration and currently has ten co-sponsors.



The Christian Coalition is urging Congress to swiftly pass the legislation, quoting Kerns on their website as saying, ``By placing the Ten Commandments in the chambers of Congress, we will set an example for our nation to follow.``



TIA believes that the push to display this sacred symbol in government buildings is a disturbing example of religious favoritism and an implicit failure to recognize the increasing presence of religious pluralism in the United States.



Larger displays, which truly serve a secular purpose or educational function (such as the frieze in the U.S. Supreme Court Building), can certainly contain the Ten Commandments, so long as the display does not promote one religion over another or religion over non-religion.



To even refer to ``the`` Ten Commandments is, in fact, a misnomer. There is no universally agreed-upon version of the Ten Commandments. Jews, Catholics, Protestants, and Muslims - all of whose traditions include the Ten Commandments - use different interpretations of their meaning.



While we do not expect this legislation to earn a vote in the full House because of its divisive nature, we will continue to monitor the resolution and keep our activists updated. To read the full text of the resolution, please visit: thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bd...h.con.res.

---

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Anya: I swear I'm just trying to find my necklace.


Willow: Did you look under the sofa... *in Hell* ?!?!


--Dopplegangland

[Taz]

Thanks for the articles, they are definately intresting. Things like this make me wonder how man even made it out of the cave. It seems to me peole have forgotten that some of the reason our forefathers and mothers came to this country is to be free from tyranny and not be persecuted for their beliefs. Sometimes I think we're digressing instead of progressing

[fell]

While it often seems like "1 step forward, 2 steps back" it's really more like 10 steps forward, 9 steps back. While social progress is maddeningly slow and incremental, there is progress on those things people are willing to fight for. Look at how much things have changed in the recent past: by the 1960's, attitudes on important matters of social justice were pretty much the same as they had been in the 1880's. People didn't question authority; there was no such thing as environmentalism; feminism and womens' liberation were considered a joke; racism and segregation were the norm; the closet was closed and locked and even peeking out of that door could get you thrown in jail or committed; spouse abuse was always the fault of the victim and, like child abuse, it "didn't exist" in "good" (ie, middle-class white) families.



Opposing these "realities" was once considered a joke, or too dangerous, or simply too extreme by most people. But people of principle, most of them young, were willing to stand up and fight for what was right. Over the last few decades things have changed more than they had in the previous 100 years. Most of the change in attitude took place in a span of less than 10 years, from the mid 60's to mid 70's as a result of activists demanding that people simply acknowledge right and wrong.



While discrimination still exists there is only one form that is still socially acceptable. But if enough people continue to denounce it as unjust and immoral, discrimination on the basis of sexual identity or orientation will eventually become as socially and politically unacceptable as racism.



The thing that makes the biggest difference in the long run is young people taking principled stands like these high school students who support the day of silence.

[Kalita]

Dog death sparks landmark gay lawsuit



The criminal, murder trial is over; now the civil, wrongful death, trial begins...

[The Shadowcat]

Quote:

---

Abuses Against Sexual Minorities in India Denounced at the UN



UN Officials Lend Groundbreaking Support



For Immediate Release: April 8, 2002



For additional information, contact:



Sydney Levy (IGLHRC, in San Francisco) +1-415-255-8680 (office), +1-415-577-8680 (cell), sydney@iglhrc.org



Scott Long (in Geneva, use this number until Sat. April 13): +41-79-470-1782



Aditya Bondyopadhyay (in Geneva, use this number until Sat. April 13): +41-79-470-1782





GENEVA - Today Mr. Aditya Bondyopadhyay denounced the treatment of sexual minorities in India at an NGO Briefing of the United Nations Commission on Human Rights. Mr. Bondyopadhyay described cases of discrimination, harassment, arrest, and torture, and he called on the UN to hold the government of India responsible for such abuses.



High ranking UN officials made a historic appearance at the briefing and affirmed the importance of defending sexual rights as part of the UN human rights work. Speaking at the Briefing were Radhika Coomaraswamy, Special, Rapporteur on Violence Against Women; Asma Jahangir, Special Rapporteur Special Rapporteur on Extrajudicial, Arbitrary and Summary Executions, and Jan Doerfel, the assistant to the Special Rapporteur on Torture.



Ms. Jahangir stated that "there are lesbians and gays in every country of the world, and I believe there is no country in which they do not face abuse."



Mr. Bondyopadhyay presented a detailed complaint of the "Lucknow 4" case, in which four HIV prevention workers were charged with conspiring to commit "unnatural sexual acts" under Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code , and were kept in detention without bail for periods from 45 days to seven months. Mr. Bondyopadhyay himself a lawyer working in this case, received numerous threats to his life.



"The arrested four were beaten, denied food, forced to drink sewer water, abused regularly, and refused treatment when they got sick." stated Mr. Bondyopadhyay. "One of the arrested had his glasses stamped on and broken and had to spend 45 days' incarceration with impaired vision."



"It is essential for the United Nations to hear the voices of the stigmatized and the marginalized directly," said Scott Long, Program Director at the International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission, the organization that brought Mr. Bondyopadhyay to Geneva to testify. "Courageous UN officials, such as Ms. Coomaraswamy and Ms. Jahangir, should be supported by all governments in the UN, as they continue to draw attention to these abuses."



The NGO Briefing was sponsored by IGLHRC as well as by the International Lesbian and Gay Association (ILGA), the International Lesbian and Gay Law Association, Pink Cross (Switzerland), the World Organization Against Torture (OMCT), Amnesty International, and the International Service for Human Rights.



The Briefing was chaired by Mr. Yves de Matteis (Pink Cross and ILGA). In addition to Mr. Bondyopadhyay, Mr. Long, and the three UN officials, the briefing included remarks by Ignacio Saiz (Amnesty International), Helmut Graupner (International Lesbian and Gay Law Association), Alex Whinnom (Press for Change, United Kingdom), and Claudine Ouellet (ILGA).



Full text of Mr. Bondyopadhyay remarks is available at

www.iglhrc.org/world/s_as...Apr_2.html



For IGLHRC's action alerts on the "Lucknow 4" case see

www.iglhrc.org/world/s_as...html#India

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Anya: I swear I'm just trying to find my necklace.


Willow: Did you look under the sofa... *in Hell* ?!?!


--Dopplegangland

[Kalita]

Well, this got quite a reaction in chat, so I'm posting the relevant articles.



Told by his Catholic school board that he can't take his boyfriend to the prom, Toronto-area teen Marc Hall has taken the case to the Ontario Superior Court of Justice. Article



On Saturday, he was honoured by a national gay advocacy group on Parliament Hill, an event attended by government MPs and actors from Queer as Folk. Article



I'll keep y'all posted as this moves on.

"And the fun just keeps on leavin'."

[Epicurus]

That Marc Hall story is always on my local news. I'm glad he is making such a big deal about this and that he has the courage to challenge the school board. I don’t know if he’ll get what he's looking for but at least he's trying.



…board's policy breaches the Charter of Rights and Freedoms, which prohibits discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation although the Constitution does provide special protection to Catholic schools' religious freedom.



That statement does not sit well with me, and it’s funny because that same school board let an obviously pregnant student attend in the past. Last time I checked, the Catholic Church does not condoned premarital sex as well.

===============================

"Over? How can it be over? I just found her!"

[BabyJune]

Hey guys! My friends and I got in the local paper's photo journal during our silence lunch April 10 (Day of Silence). I'm Lynn Sternberger, on the far right. Just thought I'd share my excitement....

www.post-gazette.com/journal/photos_display.asp?ID=7138

[the literary exterminator]

Whew. Just when I thought Alabama had the #1 ranking locked up in the Ignorant Judge department, leave it to Mississippi to make a run for the title.

[Karzia]

A bill before the state unicamral (sp) that would repeal NE VERY unconstitutional mini-DOMA was tabled before the spring resses begain UGGGHHHHHH ((((((( Assholes. As soon as I know more I will advise, but right now I am so dissapointed in my state I can hardly see straight.( ni pun intended)

Oh and whoever it was that sent me the links on the Ntional DOMA laws thanks they made for interesting if not irratating reading.

"The Bible contains
six admonishments of Homosexuals and 362 of Heterosexuals, That doesn't mean God doesn't love Hetrosexuals, just that they need more supervsion."


Lynn Laver

[Banshee]

Why must people anger me?

Believe me I don't want to go

And it'll grieve me 'cause I love you so

But we both know....

[Thanatopsis]

Same song, different idiot. Why can't people at least come up with creative ways of hating gays? Quoting the bible is a tired, boring old practice. *sigh* Sometimes people suck.

-----------------
Yet we must Clark Kent our way through the dating scene never to use our unfair advantage. Thank God we're pretty.


Dawn: I gave birth to a pterodactyl.
Anya: Oh my god. Did it sing?

[maudmac]

LOL, the literary exterminator. I love Mississippi. They make us look good. (Which is not fucking hard, I know.)



I live in a happy little gay bubble. It deflects homophobic shit.



Y'all ever hear the phobes objecting to being called "homo phobes" on the grounds that they aren't afraid of us? Oh, yeah, they are. They're scared to death of us and everything we represent.



I like good GLBT news, but I like bad GLBT news, too, because it really says a lot about the progress we've made in the eyes of general society that it's even news at all. Some judge thinks we're all insane? Not long ago, this would have been met with much head scratching and utterances of, "Yeah? So what? Everyone knows you are all insane. This isn't news."



This makes me hope we're finally moving out of that Last Minority It's Okay To Hate status.

------------------------------
Be kind - Remember every one you meet is fighting a battle - everybody's lonesome.
--- Marion Parker

Edited by: maudmac at: 4/18/02 1:16:56 am

[Wiccagrrl313]

This is from CNN's website. Similar stuff is being discussed on their and many other networks. Of coruse I'm glad to see the issue of child abuse (sexual or otherwise) being discussed and dealt with. But I'm very uncomfortable with linkage being made by some between homosexuality and pedophilia and what, IMO, is a certain amount of scapegoating here.







Pope says bishops' decisions 'wrong'

April 23, 2002 Posted: 1:46 PM EDT (1746 GMT)



VATICAN CITY (CNN) -- Pope John Paul II has acknowledged mistakes in the handling of the U.S. priest sexual abuse scandal plaguing the Roman Catholic Church.



The Catholic leader also told members of America's Roman Catholic hierarchy and other top officials gathered at the Vatican that the church itself would emerge from the "present crisis" more firmly rooted in faith.



The pope's comments came on the first day of formal talks at a Rome summit called to lay the groundwork for policies on how to deal with child sexual abuse allegations against priests.



"It is true that a generalized lack of knowledge of the nature of the problem and also at times the advice of clinical experts led bishops to make decisions which subsequent events showed to be wrong," the pope said. "You are now working to establish more reliable criteria to ensure that these criteria are not repeated." (Text of pope's remarks)



"The abuse which has caused this crisis is by every standard wrong and rightly considered a crime by society; it is also an appalling sin in the eyes of God."

— Pope John Paul II





Catholics should "be confident that this time of trial will bring a purification of their Catholic community," the pope said, "a purification that is urgently needed if the church is to preach more effectively the Gospel of Jesus Christ in all its liberating force."



The discussions are taking place at the Apostolic Palace, the pope's elaborate office and home within the Vatican complex. Twelve of the 13 U.S. cardinals, including all eight of the archbishops who head major U.S. archdioceses, are at the Vatican, as are two top officials of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.



The two days of discussions will lay the groundwork for the June meeting in Dallas of the entire assembly of U.S. bishops, which is expected to draft policies on how to deal with child sexual abuse allegations against priests.



Bishop Wilton D. Gregory, president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, said Tuesday's morning session with the pope had been "very cordial."



"Obviously, the question of the credibility of bishops is a real concern," he said. "Those bishops who have made judgments that have proven to be in error, in fact tragic, are looking for ways to make sure they handle all future cases appropriately and in whatever ways they can to rectify the mistakes and the errors in judgment from the past that they may have been guilty of."



Gregory blamed part of the problem on gay priests and a perceived proliferation of gay men in seminaries.



"It is an ongoing struggle," he said.



"It is most importantly a struggle to make sure that the Catholic priesthood is not dominated by homosexual men," Gregory said. "Not only is it not dominated by homosexual men, but to make sure that candidates that we receive are healthy in every possible way -- psychologically, emotionally, spiritually."



Chicago archbishop, Cardinal Francis George, however, presented the issue of homosexuality in the priesthood in a different light.



"The important thing in seminary formation is to ask whether or not a candidate is capable of marriage and family," he said, "because an ordained priest is a married man. He's a committed man, the bride of Christ. The difficulty in formation ... is whether a man can see himself as married and bringing forth new life, which is what a priest is supposed to be."



Regarding the issue of celibacy, George said the discussion centered on strengthening the rule that requires priests to be celibate. He said there was a difference between "a moral monster like (defrocked priest John) Geoghan" -- who was convicted in January of molesting an 11-year-old boy a decade ago -- and someone who has consensual sex with a 17-year-old girl while "under the influence of alcohol." Both are crimes, he said, but Geoghan's case is unquestionably more abhorrent.



George said that calls for the resignation of the Boston archbishop, Cardinal Bernard Law -- who has been under pressure to resign amid charges that he didn't do enough to protect children from known pedophile priests -- did not come up.



"Last night in the preliminary meeting ... he said that if he had not made some terrible mistakes we would not be here," George said. "He apologized for that. He did not speak about a possible resignation and nobody asked him about that."



Returning last week from a visit to the Vatican, where he talked with the pope about the crisis and the issue of his resignation was discussed, Law reiterated his intention to stay at the helm of the Boston archdiocese, which he has led since 1984.



In a dramatic appearance before the faithful Sunday in Boston's Holy Cross Cathedral before leaving for the Vatican for this week's meetings, Law said he wished he could "turn the clock back and undo the harm, the hurt" caused by decisions he and other church leaders made in handling abuse allegations.



"Regrettably, I and many others have been late to recognize the inadequacy of past policies, the dimensions of the crisis and the changes required to restore a sense of trust," he said. "The repeated public calls for my resignation are a clear signal that many feel that my leadership efforts in this area have been inadequate."

Tracy

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


VILLOV

I troost yuu. Hurty flurty schnipp schnipp!

[The Shadowcat]

Quote:

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The International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission joins Gay and Lesbian Equality (Western Australia) in commending state Parliament of Western Australia for its recent passage of sweeping legal reform related to sexual orientation. With the passage of the Acts Amendment (Lesbian and Gay) Law Reform Bill 2001, Western Australia, according to activists, no longer lags far behind other Australian states in its recognition of rights on the basis of sexual orientation, but rather sets a progressive example.



This bill contains measures that equalize the age of consent for all persons at 16 years; repeal the Gross Indecency Law, which targeted male-male sexual activity in public places; include sexual orientation as a protected category in the State's Equal Opportunity Act of 1984; provide access to adoption and in vitro fertilization treatment for same-sex couples; and grant additional rights to same-sex couples. The

forwarded message below from Gay and Lesbian Equality(Western Australia) provides further details.

-------------

IGLHRC

Email: iglhrc@iglhrc.org

www.iglhrc.org

--------------------------------------------



Included in the Bill are measures that:



*Equalise the age of consent at 16 for everyone (previously it was 21for male-male sex and 16 for everything else);



*Repeal the Decriminalisation of Sodomy Act 1989, which contains a preamble that states the Western Australian Parliament's disapproval of homosexuality and a 'proselytising' clause that is based on Britain's Section 28, and attempts to prohibit the promotion or encouragement of homosexuality;



*Repeal the archaic Gross Indecency Law - that only applies to male-male sexual activity in a public place;



*Include Sexual Orientation in the State's Equal Opportunity Act 1984, prohibiting discrimination against homosexual, lesbian, bisexual and heterosexual people in employment, education, accommodation, sale of land, club membership, sporting associations, professional associations, trade unions and access to goods and services;



*Allow same-sex couples and single people to adopt children (the first State in Australia to allow same-sex couples to jointly adopt);



*Allow lesbians and single women who are infertile access to IVF treatment (they already have access to other reproductive procedures);



*Allow a same-sex couple to be jointly registered as the birth parents of a child born through artificial conception to one of the women in a same-sex relationship;



* Recognise same-sex couples for inheritance, State Superannuation (State public servants only), State Parliamentary superannuation and disclosure responsibilities, cremation decisions and human tissue transplant decisions; and other associated changes.



A further Bill is being introduced in a few months that will amend all other Acts and Regulations in Western Australia to recognise same-sex couples for all legal rights afforded to married and heterosexual common-law couples.



A Bill is also in Parliament that will allow same-sex couples access to the Family Court for property disputes and custody matters on the breakdown of a relationship. All other States and Territories of Australia come under federal legislation in relation to the Family Court, and same-sex couples are therefore generally denied access as the federal Howard Government has refused to extend access. Western Australia will be in a unique position to allow same-sex couples access to the Family Court due to it being the only State in Australia with its own Family Court legislation.



You can access the Bill that has just passed at http://www.parliament.wa.gov.au in the "Bills" section. It is the first Bill listed - the Acts Amendment (Lesbian and Gay) Law Reform Bill 2001. The Family Court Amendment Bill 2001 is also listed there.



This is the single largest gay and lesbian law reform Bill in

Australian history and will take Western Australia from being the worst State in Australia for gay and lesbian human rights, to the best.



The legislation was passed by the Labor Government (elected last year in Western Australia), with the support of the Greens in the Upper House. A few dozen supporters burst into applause as they left the Legislative Council (Upper House) when the Bill passed on 21 March 2002.



The conservative Opposition have said they will repeal aspects of the legislation if they win the next election in 2005, but have not outlined exactly what provisions they would repeal.



This is very good news for Western Australia.



Many thanks,



Brendon Entrekin

Vice-Convenor

Gay and Lesbian Equality (WA)

www.galewa.

---

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Anya: I swear I'm just trying to find my necklace.


Willow: Did you look under the sofa... *in Hell* ?!?!


--Dopplegangland

[Kalita]

Quote:

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This is very good news for Western Australia.

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I'll say. Wow, pretty much aside from legalizing same-sex marriage, these guys seem to be on top of things. A great example to set!

"And the fun just keeps on leavin'."

[xita]

www.cnn.com/2002/ALLPOLIT...index.html



ATLANTA, Georgia (AP) -- Former U.S. Attorney General Janet Reno said Saturday that laws banning adoption by gays and lesbians are illogical.



"In my state, a gay or lesbian may have the privilege of being a foster parent, a guardian, a pediatrician or a pediatric nurse," Reno said. "But they can't adopt. That makes no sense."



Reno, one of several Democrats in Florida running to unseat Republican Gov. Jeb Bush, was speaking at a fund-raising event for the Human Rights Campaign, a Washington-based advocacy group for gays and lesbians.



Noting the 1998 killing of Matthew Shepard, a gay student from Wyoming, Reno said legislation must be passed to give homosexuals the same protection against hate crimes as racial and ethnic minorities.



She praised the Human Rights Campaign for its efforts to protect Americans from discrimination based on sexual orientation but said there is still more work to be done.



"We have got to do more so that discrimination against people because of their status is ended in this country," she said.



Reno mentioned Rilya Wilson, the 5-year-old Florida girl who disappeared 15 months ago while supposedly in the care of her paternal grandmother and under the supervision of the state Department of Children and Families.



"Wouldn't that little girl have been better off, rather than being lost for 15 months, to be in the care of someone who truly cared?" she asked.



Reno also spoke out in favor of health care for all Americans, whether insured or not. She specifically pointed to the need for continuing efforts to treat and possibly find a cure for HIV and AIDS.



Polls show Reno leading attorney Bill McBride in the race to the September 10 Florida primary. Other Democratic hopefuls include House Minority Leader Lois Frankel and state Sen. Daryl Jones.

- - - - - - - - - - - -

"Everything is turning out so dark..."

"No, it's okay. Lost is good. Willow and I always know how to find each other!"

[Tiauna]

I think it's great that she's able to convey her opinion freely. But sadly talk is always cheap, and I am more for action.

But I feel confident that people will come to their senses...someday. If I'm lucky, it'll be five seconds from now.

[Kalita]

The hearing began yesterday, with Hall's lawyer giving his remarks (he has a constitutional right against discrimination, the catholic board's discretionary loopholes shouldn't apply to extracurricular activities).



The school board's lawyer made his comments today. Article



A weak argument on his side, I think; whether they condone it or not doesn't mean it's not discrimination.



We should know the decision by Friday.

"To be honest, some of the episodes depressed the hell out of me." - Joss on S6

[skittles]

here is an article from the Detroit Free Press, May 8, 2002

www.freep.com/news/metro/gay8_20020508.htm



Teen gay-support clubs grow as openness does



May 8, 2002



BY PEGGY WALSH-SARNECKI

FREE PRESS STAFF WRITER



Gay teens are telling their families about their sexuality earlier today than two decades ago -- and metro Detroit schools are steadily adding support clubs.



"The sooner a person can come out, the better they will be able to deal with their lives," said Pam Hazlett of Rochester Hills, whose son, 20, told friends and family he is gay when he was 15 and a student at Rochester Adams High School.



Hazlett promotes Gay Straight Alliances (GSAs) -- school-sponsored groups for students of any sexuality that meet regularly to promote tolerance, safety and support for gays and lesbians.



The Gay, Lesbian, Straight Education Network (GLSEN) says there are more than 1,000 GSAs nationwide, up from about 700 just two years ago.



About 50 schools in Michigan have groups. In metro Detroit, there are at least 18, up from about a dozen two years ago, according to GLSEN.



The average age at which a gay or lesbian student comes out -- tells family and friends about his or her sexuality -- has dropped during the last two decades from 20 to about 13, said Ritch Savin-Williams, a Cornell University professor of developmental and clinical psychology. More than 95 percent of seventh-graders understand what homosexual means. Media have contributed to more openness, he said.



"I think rather than living with anxiety and angst for decades, the kids are sort of saying, 'Oh, that's what it's all about,' " Savin-Williams said.



Schools stress that the groups are for gay and straight students. But misconceptions persist.



Birmingham Seaholm High School's GSA started when a few straight students told counselors they would like to promote tolerance, said Seth Rosenfeld, 17, a member of Seaholm's GSA.



"We realized it was important for gays -- to make a statement for them -- and even for people who weren't gay but may feel discriminated against because they're uncomfortable with some phrases," Rosenfeld said.



Adams students call their GSA the Straight Gay Alliance because the majority of its members are straight, said sponsor Joe Glaser.



"I think people see gay first and think, 'Nope, can't be part of that,' " Glaser said. "The importance to me is that there are straight kids who are willing to identify this as an important issue for them and that everybody needs to feel safe."



More than 65 percent of gay students have been sexually harassed and 21 percent have been physically assaulted, according to the 2001 National School Climate Survey of 1,000 students in 48 states, released by GLSEN.



Even when safety isn't a problem, gay and straight students say verbal harassment is common.



The Journal of the American Medical Association reported that gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered teens are five times more likely to miss school because they are afraid for their safety, three times more likely to attempt suicide than their peers, and more likely to engage in sex and experiment with drugs before age 13.



Erin Detkowski, 17, and Frankie Kneal, 18, helped start the GSA at Warren Fitzgerald High School. Both students are open about their sexuality -- Detkowski is a lesbian; Kneal is gay. Both agree that their GSA has been a tremendous help.



"At first, it was very hard," Detkowski said. Kids called them names. "Sometimes you would go home crying."



High school students often see no way to escape harassment. Brian Kendall, 18, of Warren and a student at the University of Michigan said it's easier to be openly gay in a large, college community.



"In college, you know you never have to see this person again," Kendall said. "In high school you're stuck in that class, with that person."



Not all schools have granted students' requests for school-sponsored GSAs. Berkley High School does not have a school-sponsored club, but did permit Affirmations Lesbian and Gay Center in Ferndale to sponsor the group after school hours.



"Most of the reason centered around the community not being happy about such a group being started," said Kimberly Grover, Affirmations Youth Services Coordinator.



Gwen Ahearn, communications supervisor for Berkley schools, could not confirm whether students asked the school to sponsor a group. However, Ahearn said the district does encourage groups that promote diversity and tolerance.



Many of the area's more expensive private schools have GSAs.



Linda Vernon, adviser to the GSA for Roeper School in Bloomfield Hills, said private schools tend to have boards that are not as sensitive to voter approval as public school boards. Also, parents tend to be well-educated and more tolerant, she said.



But the primary reason GSAs are spreading is because they are student-driven, officials say.



"Whenever kids have the ability to make a difference, to feel that what they do really matters, they're excited," said Debra Schemansky, student assistance program coordinator.



For information, contact Affirmations, 248-398-7105; or Parents, Family and Friends of Lesbians and Gays, 248-398-4297.