10.31.08
Posted in Advocate Articles, Gay Rights at 2:16 pm by pikapp44
U.S. senator Kit Bond of Missouri derided Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama for stating that he hopes to appoint judges who can empathize with gay people.
Bond addressed the crowd before introducing Republican vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin onstage at the Show Me Center in Cape Girardeau, Mo., on Thursday, according to CBS News.
“[Obama] said, ‘I’m tired of these judges who want to follow what the Founding Fathers said and the Constitution,” Bond said. ” ‘I want judges who have a heart, have an empathy for the teenage mom, the minority, the gay, the disabled. We want them to show empathy. We want them to show compassion.’ “
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10.30.08
Posted in Advocate Articles, Gay Rights at 12:52 pm by pikapp44
Gay Connecticut couples will be able to start marrying sometime in November, though the exact date is not known, reports the Associated Press.
Lawyers who argued the state’s marriage case said Tuesday that couples will be able to pick up their marriage license applications beginning sometime on or after November 10. The exact date will be determined by a judge in New Haven superior court, where the case originated in 2004.
According to the AP, the state supreme court’s ruling is considered official now that it has been published in the Connecticut Law Journal. Motions for reconsideration of the case will be accepted for the 10 days following that publication. Once the period ends, the superior court judge will be free to set the date for when gay marriages can begin.
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10.29.08
Posted in Advocate Articles, Gay Rights at 2:19 pm by pikapp44
José Eduardo Verástegui is tall, dark, and handsome, not to mention rich and famous. This Latino actor and sex symbol was a favorite of gay Mexicans and Mexican-Americans — until he came out as one of the loudest proponents of California’s Proposition 8.
The pitched battle raging between gay leaders and conservative Christians over the ballot initiative that could take marriage rights away from same-sex couples has spread beyond California’s borders: The Utah-based Mormon Church has contributed the bulk of the money to promote Proposition 8, and many donors to the fight against the initiative live thousands of miles from the Golden State.
Now the fight has reached Mexico, where one of that country’s biggest young stars is being recruited to convince California’s Latinos to vote for Proposition 8. The voice and face of Verástegui — a Mexican actor and model who was named by People en Español as one of the 50 most beautiful people in the world — can currently be found on airwaves and television screens calling for a yes vote on Proposition 8.
The 34-year-old actor garnered attention from roles in the English-language film Chasing Papi, the canceled Shannen Doherty series Charmed, and a Jennifer Lopez video. He’s a devout Catholic who has urged Latinos to vote not only against same-sex marriage but also abortion rights and Barack Obama. Not surprisingly, gay fans and gay supporters have turned on Verástegui — Mexican pop star Paulina Rubio is rumored to have called him ignorant. Latina.com said of Verástegui, “[he] used to make us weak in the knees, but lately he’ s just making us sick to our stomachs.”
While many Latinos are Catholic, it’s not clear whether this voting bloc is being influenced by people like Verástegui. According to the Sacramento Bee, a Field Poll revealed 37% favored the same-sex marriage ban and 44% opposed it.
No on Prop. 8, the group fighting to defeat the ballot initiative, is not taking any chances. They just released a commercial to Spanish-speaking markets on Monday featuring three Latinos who appear on Ugly Betty — star America Ferrera, along with Tony Plana and Ana Ortiz — telling voters that Proposition 8 would hurt families, not help them.
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10.28.08
Posted in Gay Portal, Gay Rights at 2:38 pm by pikapp44
More than 429 Florida Leaders Have Already Endorsed Amendment 2
See Names and Pictures including Governor Charlie Crist and Attorney General Bill McCollum.
Site “Yes2Marriage.org: http://www.yes2marriage.org/about-us/endorsements/
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Posted in 365 Gay, Gay Portal at 12:31 pm by pikapp44
Aetna has become the first health benefits company in the U.S. to link its online provider directory - DocFind- to the Gay and Lesbian Medical Association’s online database of more than 1,200 health care providers. The database includes primary care providers, specialists, therapists, and dentists who welcome LGBT patients.
In addition, Aetna has awarded GLMA a $50,000 grant as the diamond sponsor of GLMA’s 26th Annual Conference scheduled for Oct. 22-25 in Seattle. The conference will feature presentations and workshops on HIV/AIDS; lesbian, gay, transgender and bisexual health; substance abuse; aging; families and relationships; and legal issues.
Joel Ginsberg, GLMA’s executive director, said he hopes to see other insurance companies follow Aetna’s lead by linking to the database.
“This is a valuable tool that allows LGBT individuals to find LGBT-friendly health care providers whom they can trust,” said Ginsberg.
“All patients must feel comfortable speaking candidly with their health care providers so that the care delivered is appropriate and effective, and patients can take greater control of their health and well-being,” said Troyen Brennan, M.D., Aetna’s chief medical officer.
“Aetna and the GLMA share a similar goal of eliminating disparities in health care, including unequal health care access and outcomes that critically challenge the American health care system today.”
Openness between patients and their health care providers can be an issue for the LGBT community and can impact their quality of care. A study released in July by the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene showed that men who disclose having sex with men to their physicians were twice as likely as those who did not to have been tested for HIV (63 percent vs. 36 percent).
The study also revealed in a survey of 452 New York City men who have sex with other men that 39 percent had not disclosed their sexual orientation to their doctors.
Any provider who is willing to affirm their commitment to providing a welcoming environment for LGBT patients and clients is invited to join the GLMA Provider Directory, the association said. GLMA also has resources available for providers on how to meet the unique health care needs of LGBT individuals, which includes creating an environment where patients can feel comfortable talking openly.
Aetna said it will alert its participating health care providers of the link between the DocFind tool and GLMA’s database to raise additional awareness of GLMA among providers.
Aetna has earned the top rating of 100 percent in the 2009 Corporate Equality Index by the Human Rights Campaign. This is the seventh consecutive year that Aetna has received a perfect score for its service to LGBT employees and consumers.
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10.27.08
Posted in 365 Gay, Gay Rights at 4:22 pm by pikapp44
Law enforcement agencies reported a slight decrease in hate crimes last year, despite an increase against gays and lesbians.
The FBI reported more than 7,600 hate crime incidents in 2007, down about 1 percent from last year.
Racially motivated hate crimes accounted for more than half of that total. Religious bias was the second-leading motive for hate crimes, followed by prejudice against sexual orientation.
Within those categories, the FBI report found most hate crimes tended to be anti-black, anti-Jewish and anti-gay.
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10.24.08
Posted in Advocate Articles, Gay Rights at 12:32 pm by pikapp44
When the largest and oldest health insurance provider speaks out against Amendment 2 people listen. And Blue Cross Blue Shield of Florida (BCBS-FL) has been speaking out against the deceptively named “marriage protection” amendment quite a bit.
Their clear and public stand has earned them high points for courage and integrity but it has also earned them the animosity of the far right backers of Amendment 2.
Since publicly announcing their opposition to this discriminatory amendment, BCBS-FL has been targeted by the far right. They stood up for all Floridians and now we need to stand up for them.
Send a Thank You message to Blue Cross Blue Shield of Florida and let them know that we will stand with them everytime they support fairness and equality.
Far right backers of Amendment 2 are already starting challenges to municipalities’ domestic partnership benefits. David Caton, of the Florida Family Association, has already started laying the groundwork to challenge partner benefits that the City of Tampa provides to police officers, firefighters and all municipal employees.
Proponents of the Michigan amendment claimed that it was only about marriage - just as those pushing the Florida Amendment are now doing. Then, those very same people turned around and challenged Michigan Domestic Partner Benefits programs and stripped away the rights and benefits of thousands of couples.
Write to BCBS-FL today and tell them how much we appreciate their principled stand.
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10.23.08
Posted in Advocate Articles, Gay Rights at 3:50 pm by pikapp44
Talk-show host Ellen DeGeneres spoke out against Republican vice-presidential nominee Sarah Palin on her show Wednesday. Palin said Saturday that she would support a federal constitutional amendment banning gay marriage.
“Maybe it’s because I’m gay that we should all be equal, but I feel that we’re all equal,” DeGeneres said on her show. “I don’t know what people are scared of. Maybe they think their children will be influenced. I gotta say, I was raised by two heterosexuals, I was surrounded by heterosexuals, everywhere I looked were heterosexuals, and they did not influence — I mean I dabbled in high school, who didn’t? Everyone dabbled. People are going to be who they want to be, and we have let them love who they want to love.”
DeGeneres married her partner of four years, Portia de Rossi, this August in Los Angeles.
Republican presidential nominee John McCain opposes the Federal Marriage Amendment, supporting states’ rights to decide whether to grant marriage rights to gay and lesbian couples.
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10.22.08
Posted in Advocate Articles, Gay Rights at 1:46 pm by pikapp44
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints has mobilized followers to give an estimated 77% of donations to support California’s proposed marriage ban.
Californians Against Hate released figures Tuesday showing that $17.67 million was contributed by 59,000 Mormon families since August to groups like Yes on 8. Contributions in support of Prop. 8 total $22.88 million. Additionally, the group reports that Mormons have contributed $6.9 million to pass a a similar law, Proposition 102, in Arizona.
“It is a staggering amount of money and an even more staggering percentage of the overall campaign receipts,” Fred Karger of Californians Against Hate said in a press release. “The Mormon Church, based in Salt Lake City, Utah, has hijacked the campaigns in both California and Arizona, where voters face constitutional amendments to end same-sex marriage.”
Karger said Californians Against Hate came up with the figures by cross-referencing donor information from the California secretary of state with Brigham Young University alumni lists, church memberships, and other personal documentation that could identify Mormon Church members. He said the surge in support has been an attempt to boost the church’s social standing among the greater religious community.
“For whatever reason, they’re trying to get some respect from other religions,” he told The Advocate Tuesday. “They’ve always been looked down upon by the Christians, the Catholics, and evangelicals.”
Success with the marriage amendment would give the church credibility, Karger said.
The Latter-day Saints Church says it has approximately 770,000 members in California, accounting for about 2% of the state’s population. Senior church elders broadcast a call to Mormons October 8 for increased volunteer efforts and donations for the marriage fight. The hour-long message went out to churches in Utah, Hawaii, and Idaho as well as California.
Members of the Quorum of Twelve Apostles, the second-highest church governing body, explained their plan to pass the ballot initiative. They asked each California congregation to commit 30 volunteers to donate four hours a week to Proposition 8. They also urged young people to use technology — such as social networks, text messaging, and blogging — to spread the word.
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10.21.08
Posted in Advocate Articles, Gay Rights at 5:44 pm by pikapp44
Democratic vice presidential hopeful Joe Biden sat down with Ellen DeGeneres Monday afternoon to campaign for Barack Obama. During his visit to the show, he made clear that if he were a resident of California, he would be voting no on Proposition 8.
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