06.25.08
Posted in Advocate Articles, Gay Rights at 6:51 pm by pikapp44
The Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation issued a press release Tuesday urging community members to contact FX Networks to express concern about a defamatory claim by an antigay activist that was featured uncensored, and unchallenged, on the June 24 episode of 30 Days. The show “examines social issues in America by immersing individuals in a life that requires them to see the world through another’s eyes,’” according to the show’s website.
In an episode titled “Same-Sex Parenting,” Kati, a woman who is opposed to gays having families, lives for 30 days with gay parents Dennis and Thomas and their four adopted sons.
The episode includes a defamatory statement by Peter Sprigg of the Family Research Council, who, according to GLAAD’s press release, is quoted as saying: “Homosexuality is associated with higher rates of sexual promiscuity, sexually transmitted diseases, mental illness, substance abuse, domestic violence, and child sexual abuse, and those are all reasons for us to be concerned about placing children into that kind of setting.”
After reviewing a screener supplied by FX Networks, GLAAD and the Family Equality Council, a national nonprofit working to ensure equality for LGBT families, contacted FX, requesting that the inaccurate claim be removed from the episode or that a credible social science expert be brought in to provide an on-air correction.
FX Networks refused to remove the statement or address it during the course of the episode.
GLAAD, the Family Equality Council, and Children of Lesbians and Gays Everywhere are urging their members and the community to contact FX Networks and 20th Century Fox to express their concerns over the network’s providing a platform for such an inaccurate, misleading claim by the Family Research Council:
Jeffrey Glaser, senior vice president, current programming, 20th Century Fox Television, Inc., (310) 369-0211, jeffrey.glaser@fox.com.
Nick Grad, executive vice president of original programming, FX Networks, (310) 369-0949, ngrad@fxnetworks.com.
Chuck Saftler, executive vice president of programming, FX Networks, (310) 369-0949, csaftler@fxnetworks.com.
Scott Seomin, vice president of public relations, FX Networks, (310) 369-0938, sseomin@fxnetworks.co
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06.24.08
Posted in Advocate Articles, Gay Rights at 3:20 pm by pikapp44
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is asking California members to join the effort to amend that state’s constitution to define marriage as being between a man and a woman.
”The church’s teachings and position on this moral issue are unequivocal. Marriage between a man and a woman is ordained of God and the formation of families is central to the Creator’s plan for His children,” the four-paragraph letter states.
”We ask that you do all you can to support the proposed constitutional amendment by donating of your means and time to ensure that marriage in California is legally defined as being between a man and a woman,” church leaders say in the letter. ”Our best efforts are required to preserve the sacred institution of marriage.”
The latest letter is a disappointment to members of Affirmation, an international support group for gay, lesbian and transgender Mormons. Last month, Affirmation called on the church not to meddle in California politics. ”This initiative will hurt so many people,” executive director W. Olin Thomas said in a statement Monday. ”The California law affects civil marriage; it has no effect on any religious institution or official.”
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06.23.08
Posted in Advocate Articles, Gay Rights at 2:06 pm by pikapp44
Sen. Obama reminded us this week that he believes marriage is between a man and a woman, something LGBT people might have easily forgotten over the course of the primary.
During an interview with ABC’s Jake Tapper, Obama uttered the words so cunningly crafted by the Christian right: marriage is between a man and a woman.
More precisely, Sen. Obama said, “I believe marriage is between a man and a woman,” shortly after being asked if he opposed same-sex marriage, to which he responded, “Yes.” This positioning is not new for Sen. Obama. He has uttered those words plenty – during a debate with Alan Keyes in 2004, on the Senate floor in 2006, even in his 2007 Human Rights Campaign candidate questionnaire.
But if LGBT people across the country bristled at the one-man, one-woman construction, they can be forgiven. After scouring the web, drawing upon memory and scanning my notes, this reporter cannot remember the senator using those words during the entire primary season from January right through until Sen. Hillary Clinton conceded the race to Obama on June 7. In fact, I don’t believe he has used them in any one of the 20-some Democratic debates.
Why now? Welcome to the general election say the pundits. One Democratic strategist and TV pundit who agreed to speak on the condition of anonymity said the language is intended to send a signal to swing state voters that Sen. Obama isn’t the crazy liberal they’ve been told he is. “That’s language that’s required,” he said.
But on the bright side, he added that Sen. Obama followed his man-woman statement with: “I also think that same-sex partners should be able to visit each other in hospitals, they should be able to transfer property, they should be able to get the same federal rights and benefits that are conferred onto married couples.”
Indeed, the concept of a presidential candidate supporting civil unions was considered a serious liability as recently as 2004 when people wondered whether Howard Dean would be lambasted in a general election for signing Vermont’s civil unions bill into law.
“Obama is saying he wants the federal government to recognize whatever the states decide to sanction,” said the strategist. “That’s progressive and that was unthinkable just 4 years ago.”
Paul Begala, a Democratic strategist who is not working for any campaigns, found Sen. Obama’s statement on gay marriage rather unremarkable given his previous proclamations on the issue. “I thought it sounded like the standard line for him,” said Begala, who is an Obama supporter. “And I have to say as a political consultant, this is where you don’t want to make news. It hurts your consistent position. He is where most people are, which is, we want to have civil unions, we want to have equal rights. But a lot of people get off the train on the word ‘marriage,’ and so you show respect for that.”
That may be true, but any number of gays and lesbians would like a little respect too – especially those same-sex couples who are already married in Massachusetts and California. If you cup your ears and listen closely you can almost hear them grumbling, “Btw, Sen. Obama, marriage is no longer simply between a man and a woman. At least, ours isn’t.”
Surely, the LGBT folks associated with the campaign are working feverishly behind the scenes to find a work-around for that phrase – one with the added benefit of being accurate. Only time will tell whether they prevail. Begala reminds us that this political season will be a fight for the center that we have not witnessed in about 15 years, back when Ross Perot managed to draw enough independent votes (almost 20%) to hand Bill Clinton the presidency in 1992.
“The last two elections the country was so deeply polarized, and Bush won because he realized there really were no independents left,” Begala said. “So, yes, there’s a bigger pot of independent voters. And, interestingly, each party has nominated the candidate who, in the primaries, demonstrated the strongest ability to get independent votes.”
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Posted in Advocate Articles, Gay Portal at 1:59 pm by pikapp44
Just weeks after the California Supreme Court said “I do” to same-sex marriage, Macy’s West division ran full page newspaper ads in San Francisco and Los Angeles showing two wedding rings and the headline, “First comes love. Then comes marriage. And now it’s a milestone every couple in California can celebrate.”
Same-sex marriages in California began in mid-June, so all the new couples are going to need lots of gifts. The newspaper ads support wedding registries at Macy’s, one of the nation’s largest department stores with 810 stores in 45 states, which replaced the “bride/groom” language on its registries in 2005.
Despite the stereotype that gay men like shopping, only a few fashion retailers have put a major stake in gay ground.
In 1996, San Francisco-based The Gap, Abercrombie & Fitch in Columbus, Ohio, and upscale New York store Bergdorf Goodman were also early arrivals. Saks Fifth Avenue and Armani Exchange arrived a year later, and in 1999 Bloomingdale’s (once independent, now under Macy’s) and Gap’s Banana Republic followed. Few tried gay-specialized images, though.
A comparative latecomer, Macy’s first ad ran an ad in gay media for its web site in February 2000 on gay.com, and in OUT magazine in 2003.
Meanwhile, less fashionable Wal-Mart quit before it got started. While it never got to the stage of advertising, it explored the idea during late 2006 and 2007 after becoming a corporate sponsor of the National Lesbian & Gay Chambers of Commerce before backing out under fire from conservative organizations.
Still, other retailers continue to try out the market. Target Corp. took some steps with OUT magazine in 2007, and H&M did too in February.
As more states recognize same-sex unions of all kinds, retailers have much to gain by advertising that they’re ready to serve all the happy new couples.
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06.20.08
Posted in Advocate Articles, Gay Rights at 7:16 am by pikapp44
Fort Lauderdale attorney Dean Trantalis has been shaking hands with residents around town, introducing plans to run for Mayor of Fort Lauderdale.
“I will be announcing my candidacy for the mayor of Fort Lauderdale,” Trantalis told the Express.
He will emphasize his position as an openly gay candidate representing the GLBT community in the wake of Jim Naugle’s anti-gay rhetoric that brought negative attention to the city.
“I want to be the champion of the gay community, as well as the leader of a community of people who have felt alienated by its leaders,” Trantalis said. “I feel the gay community is due to have one of its leaders take on the cause of redressing the experience we all felt last summer.”
He takes this stance as other gay candidates running for office in Broward describe themselves as candidates who “happen to be gay.”
Trantalis’ move risks splitting the gay vote, thus favoring Seiler. Seiler, a Democrat, has supported GLBT issues during his two terms in the State House, but many in the gay community criticize him for not signing his name as a sponsor of any GLBT friendly House bills and for not speaking out against Naugle last year.
And while Trantalis is highly visible in the city and county’s GLBT political scene as one of the co-authors of the County’s Human Rights Ordinance and as an outspoken opponent to Naugle, he has been criticized for being a part-time commissioner who attended commission meetings unprepared, an assertion he refutes.
“I knew more about things than all of them put together,” Trantalis said. “On the big issues people would think I knew too much. I would read beyond the [commission agenda] packet.”
Trantalis claims that as mayor, he plans to “bring back dignity to the office” and to be a proactive leader who would emphasize consensus building among the commissioners.
His primary platform issues include improving Waterworks Bond-funded city water projects, streamlining code enforcement procedures, and setting the tone for diversity.
He said he would work to end the ongoing police stings against gay men in city parks.
“The mayor has set a tone in this city that makes gay people open season to be targeted,” Tratalis said. “This puts the city at risk of lawsuits and misdirects the city’s resources that should focus on real crime.”
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06.19.08
Posted in Advocate Articles, Gay Rights at 12:47 pm by pikapp44
The Social Security Administration must recognize the children of same-sex couples, the Department of Justice determined Tuesday.
The federal Defense of Marriage Act prevents Washington from recognizing or providing benefits to same-sex couples, but it does not explicitly address the benefits of children of such couples.
“Although DOMA limits the definition of ‘marriage’ and ‘spouse’ for purposes of federal law, the Social Security Act does not condition eligibility for [benefits] on the existence of a marriage or on the federal rights of a spouse in the circumstances of this case; rather, eligibility turns upon the State’s recognition of a parent-child relationship, and specifically, the right to inherit as a child under state law,” stated the legal opinion prepared by Steven Engel, deputy assistant attorney general for the Justice Department’s Office of Legal Counsel.
The opinion was delivered after a child of a lesbian couple who had a civil union in Vermont attempted to receive Social Security benefits.
The child’s nonbiological parent began collecting her Social Security benefits in 2005, the year the child was born, and under Social Security law the minor children of adults who receive disability benefits can also claim benefits.
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06.18.08
Posted in Advocate Articles, Gay Rights at 2:12 pm by pikapp44
An appeals court has rejected a conservative group’s latest effort to stop gay marriages in California before the November election.
Florida-based “traditional values” group Liberty Counsel had asked a state appeals court to block same-sex weddings until voters could decide the issue on the November ballot.
The three-judge panel of the California Court of Appeal in San Francisco refused the request in a brief ruling issued Tuesday as gay marriages began in full swing around the state.
Earlier the appeals court had ruled against allowing gay marriages, but the state supreme court overturned that decision last month. In its latest ruling the appeals court says the high court has made it clear that same-sex marriage should be allowed.
Gay marriage became legal in California on Monday afternoon
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06.17.08
Posted in Advocate Articles, Gay Rights at 3:23 pm by pikapp44
After wedding-day celebrations subside, gay and lesbian couples from other states who marry starting this week in California face sobering challenges.
Many will return home to states which explicitly reject same-sex unions. Major gay-rights groups are urging them not to rush into lawsuits demanding that their marriages be recognized. Lawyers warn that they may have difficulty divorcing if things go awry.
California will become the second state after Massachusetts to allow same-sex marriages, but the first to do so without any residency requirements. states have statutes or constitutional amendments specifying that marriage is between a man and a woman, and denying recognition to same-sex unions. The federal government also doesn’t recognize such unions.
Worried that their court victory in California could be offset by defeats elsewhere, a coalition of nine national gay-rights groups last week issued an appeal — titled ”Make Change, Not Lawsuits” — to gays and lesbians considering California marriages.
”Couples who want to should get married, call themselves married, and ask — sometimes demand — that family, friends, neighbors, businesses, employers and the community treat their marriages with respect,” the statement said.
”But one thing couples shouldn’t do is just sue the federal government or, if they are from other states, go sue their home state or their employer to recognize their marriage or open up the health plan,” it added. ”Bad rulings will make it much more difficult for us to win marriage, and will certainly make it take much longer.”
Worried about possible legal chaos, attorneys general from several states asked California to postpone the start of same-sex marriage until after Nov. 4 voting on a state ballot measure that could ban such unions. The request was denied.
Shannon Minter, legal director of the National Center for Lesbian Rights, said litigation by newly married same-sex couples ‘’should be an absolute last resort” — reserved only for cases where there is grievous injustice and a realistic chance of prevailing in court.
Minter also noted that same-sex couples marrying in California could find themselves with no efficient way to dissolve the marriage if it breaks down. States that don’t recognize same-sex marriages might refuse to grant a divorce, and California — while lacking a residency requirement for marriage — does have one for divorces.
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06.13.08
Posted in Advocate Articles, Gay Rights at 2:24 pm by pikapp44
Members of Norway’s parliament approved a bill Wednesday that will allow same-sex couples to wed in civil marriages, according to Agence France-Presse.
The new law, which passed 84–41, requires that the terminology in marriage documents be gender-neutral.
A 1993 law gave gay and lesbian couples the right to enter into civil unions, similar to marriage, but they could not be wed in church or adopt children. The new law allows adoption and permits lesbians to be artificially inseminated.
Norway becomes the sixth country to allow gay marriage, joining Spain, Belgium, the Netherlands, South Africa, and Canada in legislating full marriage equality.
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06.11.08
Posted in Advocate Articles, Gay Rights at 6:24 pm by pikapp44
A California county clerk says she’ll stop performing all marriage ceremonies shortly before a state supreme court order legalizing same-sex marriage takes effect.
A newspaper says the move came after the clerk received advice from Kern County lawyers who said marriages cannot be performed in a discriminatory fashion.
The Bakersfield Californian says clerk Ann Barnett said Wednesday she would not have the staff or space to deal with an increase in licenses and ceremonies. She plans to stop all ceremonies starting June 13 — three days before gay couples may legally wed.
The newspaper reports she asked county counsel to file a brief with the California supreme court opposing implementation of its May 15 ruling allowing gay marriage.
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