09.17.08
Posted in Advocate Articles, Gay Rights at 11:27 am by pikapp44
The music director of a Wisconsin Catholic church has been fired for living “an openly gay life,” reports the Wisconsin State Journal.
Charles Philyaw had worked as director of music liturgy for the St. Andrew Catholic Church in Verona since 2004, eventually directing the church choir, leading the liturgy committee, and playing for multiple masses on a weekly basis.
But in June, according to the State Journal, the church’s parish priest, the Reverend Dave Timmerman, informed Philyaw he was being let go because he led an openly gay life. Philyaw and his partner, James Mulder-Philyaw, were active participants in the Verona religious community.
Apparently, Philyaw’s firing came after five parishioners raised concerns about the gay couple’s visibility at church functions and activities. The church’s bishop got involved, which eventually led to Philyaw’s termination.
“Absolutely, Chuck lost his job because he’s openly gay,” Jo Ellen Kilkenny, one of the five parishioners who raised concerns about Philyaw, told the State Journal. Kilkenny said she did not intend to get Philyaw fired but felt uncomfortable after receiving Communion from Mulder-Philwaw and contacted the diocese for spiritual direction.
There’s no word yet on whether Philyaw is planning a lawsuit against the church. What is clear is that Philyaw and Mulder-Philyaw are now facing a possible foreclosure on their home. St. Andrew Catholic Church has also been turned upside down by the firing, with many people feeling Philyaw was unjustly let go.
Wisconsin protects workers from sexual orientation discrimination, though churches are allowed to hire or fire without regard to discrimination laws if an employee’s main duties are ecclesiastical or ministerial. The gray area in this case is whether Philyaw’s position fell under those categories
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09.15.08
Posted in Advocate Articles, Gay Rights at 5:20 pm by pikapp44
The McCain campaign is defending Alaska governor Sarah Palin’s much-criticized inquiry into banning books at her hometown library, saying her questions were only hypothetical.
Shortly after taking office in 1996 as mayor of Wasilla, a city of about 10,000 people, Palin asked the city’s head librarian about banning books. Later, the librarian was notified by Palin that she was being fired, although Palin backed off under pressure.
Palin alleged attempt at book-banning has been a matter of intense interest since Republican presidential nominee John McCain named her as his running mate last month.
Taylor Griffin, a spokesman for the McCain campaign, said Thursday that Palin asked the head librarian, Mary Ellen Emmons, on three occasions how she would react to attempts at banning books. He said the questions, in the fall of 1996, were hypothetical and entirely appropriate. He said a patron had asked the library to remove a title the year before and the mayor wanted to understand how such disputes were handled.
Records on the city’s website, however, do not show any books were challenged in Wasilla in the 10 years before Palin took office.
Palin notified Emmons she would be fired in January 1997 because the mayor didn’t feel she had the librarian’s ”full support.” Emmons was reinstated the next day after public outcry, according to newspaper reports at the time.
Still, one longtime library staffer recalls that the run-in made everyone fear for their jobs.
”Mayor Palin gave us some terrible moments and some rather gut-wrenching moments, particularly when Mary Ellen said she was going to have to leave,” said Cathy Petrie, who managed the children’s collection at the time.
Recent outrage has been fueled by Wasilla housewife Anne Kilkenny, whose 2,400-word critique of Palin’s legacy as mayor is widely posted on the Internet. Kilkenny described Palin’s actions as ”out-and-out censorship.”
But the McCain campaign, in a statement, said the charge ”is categorically false … Governor Sarah Palin has never asked anyone to ban a book, period.”
Emmons, a former Alaska Library Association president who now goes by Mary Ellen Baker, did not return calls seeking comment.
According to the Mat-Su Valley Frontiersman newspaper, Emmons did not mince words when Palin asked her ”how I would deal with her saying a book can’t be in the library” on October 28, 1996, in a week when the mayor had asked department heads for letters of resignation.
”She asked me if I would object to censorship, and I replied ‘Yup,”’ Emmons told a reporter. ”And I told her it would not be just me. This was a constitutional question, and the American Civil Liberties Union would get involved too.”
The Reverend Howard Bess, a liberal Christian preacher in the nearby town of Palmer, said the church Palin and her family attended until 2002, the Wasilla Assembly of God, was pushing to remove his book from local bookstores.
Emmons told him that year that several copies of Pastor, I Am Gay had disappeared from the library shelves, Bess said.
”Sarah brought pressure on the library about things she didn’t like,” Bess said. ”To believe that my book was not targeted in this is a joke.”
Other locals said the dustup had been blown out of proportion.
”That was many years ago and Sarah never had any intention to ban books,” said David Chappel, who served as Palin’s deputy mayor for three years. ”There were some vocal people in the minority, and it looks like they’re still out there.”
Jim Rettig, a University of Richmond librarian who heads the Chicago-based American Library Association, suggested that the lingering quarrel raises issues that are still relevant as librarians prepare to celebrate Banned Books Week later this month.
”Librarians are very committed to the principles of the First Amendment of the Constitution and that means we don’t allow one individual or a group of people to dictate what people can or cannot read,” he said. ”Most librarians, if they got that sort of a question, would be curious as to what the intent of the questioner was.”
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09.12.08
Posted in Gay Portal at 12:47 pm by pikapp44
Gays will march in three areas of the country this weekend with walks in New York City and San Francisco to support same-sex marriage, and one in Mississippi to call on the next president to issue a stronger commitment on battling HIV/AIDS
People living with HIV/AIDS, their loved ones and other supporters will march from Jackson to Oxford, Miss., on Sept. 13 to demand that the next U.S. president take significant steps toward creating a national plan within 100 days of taking office to end AIDS .
Stand Against AIDS is being spearheaded by the Campaign to End AIDS, a national network of people living with HIV/AIDS. It is made up of a diverse cross-section of people - African-American, Latino and white; gay and straight; male and female.
On Sunday, several thousand people are expected to attend the fifth annual simultaneous walks across the Golden Gate Bridge and Brooklyn Bridge in support of marriage equality.
A bill that would allow same-sex couples to marry in New York passed the Democrat-controlled Assembly last year ,but Republicans who control the Senate have refused to consider the legislation.
Gov. David Paterson earlier this year issued an executive order recognizing the marriages of same-sex couples who were married in areas where they are legal. A challenge by Republicans was thrown out in court.
In New York City, marchers will gather at 11 a.m. EST at City Hall Park and proceed across the Brooklyn Bridge to Brooklyn. The event will end with a picnic and festival in Cadman Plaza.
In San Francisco, marchers will gather at 9:30 a.m. PST at the west end of Crissy Field to march across the Golden Gate Bridge and then return to Crissy Field for wedding cake and entertainment.
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09.11.08
Posted in Advocate Articles, Gay Rights at 1:07 pm by pikapp44
When Ellen DeGeneres and Portia de Rossi got married in California in August, there were no protests, no career fallout, and no media backlash, just congratulations from all.
It was an archetypal People celebrity wedding featuring two of the beautiful people, one in pants and the other in a gown, and a dreamy setting with flowers, champagne, candlelight, the whole romantic nine yards. No expense spared. The only thing missing: a groom.
But People hardly noticed.
And that’s what was most amazing about the August 16 marriage of Ellen DeGeneres and Portia de Rossi: People and other mainstream celebrity news sources didn’t treat the event much differently than they would, say, the arrival of Brangelina’s next children. CNN.com did headline the word “marry” in scare quotes, but the blogosphere outcry forced the site to make a quick edit. Other than that there seemed to be no backlash from the mainstream media or public.
What was once California dreaming has turned into a Golden State reality, and leading the way down the aisle — as she has, so to speak, for the past decade of gay progress — is DeGeneres.
She wasn’t the first celesbian (k.d. lang, Melissa Etheridge, and Chastity Bono were public about their sexual orientation before she was), but Ellen’s coming-out was certainly the most heralded. Who can forget the cover of Time magazine in 1997 with the headline “Yep, I’m gay”? The very acknowledgment of that fact was news and even warranted a full hour on Oprah. DeGeneres then turned her eponymous TV show character into a lesbian, coming out by sharing a kiss with guest star Laura Dern.
By the time California made it legal for her to marry De Rossi, her partner of four years, DeGeneres had become one of those people who transcends common notions about gender or sexuality, much as a Bill Cosby or Tiger Woods seems to rise above common racial prejudices. She’s so damn friendly, cute, funny — dare we say normal? — that the everyday Americans have seamlessly incorporated — and accepted — her sexual orientation as a part of who she is. No questions asked. DeGeneres’s studio audience gave her a standing ovation when she announced her engagement, and a Harris poll this year found that DeGeneres is currently the country’s “favorite television star.”
What a difference a decade has made — both for DeGeneres and for mainstream Americans’ attitudes toward gay men and lesbians. In fact, you can almost gauge the public’s feelings about LGBT people through its treatment of Ellen. When just coming out was the bravest thing a person could do, DeGeneres became the face of gay people’s struggle to be open. Now she’s become the face of the struggle for equality, and her marriage represents just how far we’ve come.
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09.10.08
Posted in Advocate Articles, Gay Rights at 2:22 pm by pikapp44
A Florida judge has found the state’s 31-year ban on gay adoptions to be unconstitutional, reports the Miami Herald. The ruling from Judge David Audlin Jr. will allow an openly gay Key West resident to adopt the teenage boy that he has raised as a foster parent since 2001.
Judge Audlin said that the adoption was in the child’s “best interest” and asserted that barring gays from adopting conflicted with the state Constitution since it targets a specific group for punishment. Audlin had appointed the foster father to be the boy’s legal guardian in 2006. At a hearing earlier this year, the order says the boy testified that he wanted to the man to be his “forever father… because I love him,” the Herald reports.
”Contrary to every child welfare principle,” Audlin wrote in his opinion, ”the gay adoption ban operates as a conclusive or irrebuttable presumption that . . . it is never in the best interest of any adoptee to be adopted by a homosexual.”
Florida and Mississippi are the only two state that currently forbid gays and lesbians from adopting children.
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09.08.08
Posted in Advocate Articles, Gay Rights at 6:07 pm by pikapp44
Once thought to be a strong contender for the vice presidential slot slot on the McCain ticket, long-rumored-to-be-gay Florida governor Crist is watching his approval ratings soar throughout Florida, according to a new Quinnipiac Univeristy poll.
The Palm Beach Post reports that approval for Crist has soared to 61% throughout Florida. The surge in Crist’s poll numbers comes on the heels of two announcements: He’s engaged to be married, and he supports a Florida ban on same-sex marriage.
Crist told reporters in early August that he supports Amendment Two, which would constitutionally ban same-sex marriage throughout the state of Florida. At the time, Crist was still thought to be a top contender for the VP slot on McCain’s ticket.
The Florida governor’s support for Amendment Two was an about-face from his previous position on the issue of gay marriage. Though Crist had long shied away from commenting either way on the topic of gay marriage, reporters had credited him with a “live and let live” attitude.
As approval for Crist surges throughout the state, so does support for Amendment Two.
According to a recent article in the Miami Herald, 55% of voters throughout Florida support a ban on same-sex marriage. While that is short of the 60% approval needed to amend the constitution, recent polls suggest that number is holding.
Earlier this month, the blogs had a field day with Crist’s announcement that he is engaged to be married — to the head of one of the nation’s largest Halloween costume manufacturing companies.
According to TowleRoad.com: “The woman marrying the gayish governor from the sultry Southern state actually makes beards.”
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09.05.08
Posted in E's Thoughts, Gay Portal at 5:45 am by pikapp44
Today we attended a seminar given by Matthew Skallerud, President of Pink Banana Media. Matt joined us for lunch. Matt is a fantastic guy. We enjoyed each other’s company and heard many interesting stories.
We learned a lot about advanced features of the Internet including blogs, social networking sites, online video and more,
PinkBananaWorld.com and it’s companion site PinkieB.com, are new sites launched in January 2008, designed to bring the best of today’s Internet technologies and experiences to GLBT users worldwide, including integrations with Flickr.com, MySpace.com, FaceBook.com and more… integrations with a distinct gay & lesbian flair!
Pink Banana Media can offer you Banner Advertising and E-Mail Marketing opportunities to help promote your business to the online GLBT community.
PinkBananaWorld.com: Bringing the GLBT audience worldwide news, blogs, podcasts, photos and videos from a wide variety of content sources from around the globe. Also bringing together an online member’s various personas on MySpace, Facebook, YouTube, Flickr and more… using RSS and XML to deliver the best side of our GLBT members to their friends, family and new acquaintances found on PinkBananaWorld.com.
www.PinkBananaWorld.com
PinkieB.com: GLBT Social Networking and Online Community web site
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Posted in E's Thoughts, Gay Portal at 5:38 am by pikapp44
Today we attended a seminar given by Matthew Skallerud, President of Pink Banana Media, where we met Richard, manager of advertising on IGLTA (International Gay and Lesbian Travel). Richard joined us and Matt for lunch.
We learned that IGLTA is the Gay & Lesbian Traveler Portal. It’s the world’s leading travel trade association. It’s committed to growing and enhancing its members’ gay and lesbian tourism business through education, promotion and networking.
Travelers can search, contact and utilize our members around the world for all your travel needs.
Businesses can join IGTLA association and find themselves on the forefront of gay and lesbian travel.
IGTLA members offer: accommodations, airlines, car rental, cruises, travel agencies and more.
IGLTA newletter blog is the voice of the International Gay and Lesbian Travel.
www.iglta.org offers a complimentary internet link and listing that advertises your business, location, and contact numbers. It also includes: website banner advertising opportunities, our global calendar of events, and a consumer portal to find your business.
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09.04.08
Posted in Advocate Articles, Gay Rights at 5:45 pm by pikapp44
Gov. Charlie Crist’s first appointment to the Florida Supreme Court is rattling gay nerves.
His choice, Judge Charles T. Canady of the 2nd District Court of Appeal in Lakeland, Fla. is widely regarded as a partisan politician, who repeatedly stood against GLBT rights issues when he served in the US Congress.
“It’s hard to imagine anyone who would be a worse choice than Canady,” said Nadine Smith executive director of Equality Florida. “It’s a deep disappointment to everyone who took the governor at his word that he was standing more moderate and not pandering to the extreme right.”
“I don’t know what went into Crist’s decision,” said Rand Hoch, a former judge and president of the Palm Beach Human Rights Council. “In my opinion there were certainly stronger candidates.”
Canady is known as a staunchly conservative voice. While serving in the US House of Representatives, Canady supported the Federal Defense of Marriage Act, opposed gay adoption in Washington D.C. and called for an end to affirmative action. He also led a 13- member house panel to impeach President Bill Clinton.
He’s been criticized as being a professional politician from a political family. He argues against same-sex marriage equality from a moralistic point of view.
“What is really at stake in the Defense of Marriage Act,” he was quoted as saying. “Is whether the law of this country should treat homosexual relationships as morally equivalent to heterosexual relationships.”
Crist’s appointment has been criticized for falling short of a high enough standard for the state’s most powerful court. The St. Petersburg Times editorialized that Crist had “picked the most partisan candidate available.”
Three other judges and a lawyer were nominated by the states Judicial Nominating Committee. The list included openly gay Miami attorney Edward Guedes. None of the nominees were women or black.
Hoch said Canady’s presence on the high bench sends a one-dimensional political message that he does not want the state’s highest court to reflect the state’s diverse population.
“The concern here is that when [Crist] has the opportunity to pick someone from the mainstream,” Hoch said. “The choice is made once again from the right.”
Crist announced his choice on the same day that Republican Presidential Nominee John McCain announced Sarah Palin, the conservative governor of Alaska, as his running mate.
Others view Canady’s appointment as being a purely political move on Crist’s part, said Howard Simon, executive director of the Florida ACLU .
“When a governor who likes to be seen as a moderate appoints a reliably ideological politician to the Florida Supreme Court,” Simon said. “Crist sends a message that it is more important to foster the image of being moderate than actually being moderate.”
Crist could name up to two more judges to the state Supreme Court by the end of his first term.
Could an openly gay nominee make it to the bench?
“Yes,” says Hoch. “What it would depend on is whether the governor has what it takes to say ‘I don’t think that being gay or lesbian is a negative.’ ”
However, if Crist’s recent posturing is any indicator, those chances could be slim. The appointment comes in the wake of Crist abandoning his ‘live and let live’ stance on Amendment 2, and supporting the anti-gay marriage amendment to the Florida constitution. His support of the measure was seen by many as an attempt to further distance himself from being seen as moderate.
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09.03.08
Posted in Advocate Articles, Gay Rights at 4:10 pm by pikapp44
Two years ago, John McCain campaigned to deny marriage to Arizona GLBT couples.
Now he’s publicly supporting the ballot initiative to end marriage equality in California.
And he’s even said he wouldn’t rule out a constitutional amendment to ban same-sex marriage nationwide.
While he’d like you to believe he’s a moderate, at the end of the day Sen. McCain marches in lockstep with the anti-GLBT right wing.
His public support for writing discrimination into the California constitution – a measure opposed by Republican Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger – puts him among company like Focus on the Family, the Family Research Council, and their bigoted buddies.
He believes same-sex couples should never be allowed to adopt children.
He even appeared in a television ad for the 2006 Arizona ballot measure that would have denied marriage and domestic partnership benefits to all Arizona couples.
And he hasn’t even ruled out writing discrimination into the U.S. Constitution with an anti-marriage amendment. At a recent forum at Saddleback Church he said:
“…if a federal court decided that my state of Arizona had to observe what the state of Massachusetts decided, then I would favor a constitutional amendment.”
If GLBT Americans don’t have marriage rights then they don’t have “the rights of all citizens” – simple as that.
Sign HRC’s petition and tell Sen. McCain to stop supporting measures that deny committed, adult couples the rights and responsibilities of marriage.
Don’t let Sen. McCain get away with embracing discrimination while telling us he’s protecting GLBT rights. Don’t let him tell us he’s a maverick while supporting hate and bigotry.
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