UPDATE!!!!!
Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick, Marriage Equality Superhero, will be joining us for a brief visit at some point in the near future. We have recently added the Governor to our WGLB ActBlue page since he is locked in a tough battle for reelection. We will keep you posted and keep your fingers crossed he does manage to squeeze us into his busy schedule.
Commentary-
contributed by Roman Catholicism
Rebuttal-
contributed by tnichlsn
wow. just wow...
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DOMA and States Marriage News-
contributed by musing85
The Associated Press is reporting that six gay couples in Hawaii are preparing to file a lawsuit, assisted by Lambda Legal and the American Civil Liberties Union, seeking the same rights as married couples. The suit comes three weeks after Hawaii Gov. Linda Lingle vetoed a civil unions measure, claiming that it should be up to Hawaii's voters to decide whether or not gay and lesbian people deserve equal rights.
The six couples are not seeking recognition as being married, or for civil union status. Rather, they want the state to extend to them the benefits and responsibilities of marriage based on the Hawaii Constitution's prohibition against sex discrimination. The case, according to the AP report, is not likely to be settled until it reaches the Hawaii Supreme Court. It could also be rendered moot if the Hawaii legislature passes, and the state's next governor signs, a civil unions bill.
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GLBT Law News-
contributed by musing85
According to the Chronicle of Higher Education on July 28, Judge George Caram Steeh of the U.S. District Court in Detroit dismissed a lawsuit filed against Eastern Michigan University by a student who was kicked out of its graduate program in school counseling last year for refusing, on religious grounds, to affirm homosexual behavior in serving clients.
In an order granting summary judgment to the university on Monday, Judge George Caram Steeh of the U.S. District Court in Detroit held that the university's requirement that the student be willing to serve people who are homosexual was reasonable, and did not amount to an infringement of the Christian student's constitutional rights to free speech and free expression of religion.
The university "had a right and duty to enforce compliance" with professional ethics rules barring counselors from being intolerant or engaging in discrimination, and no reasonable person could conclude that a counseling program's requirement that students comply with such rules "conveys a message endorsing or disapproving of religion," Judge Steeh wrote.
The Christianists have announced their intention to appeal the ruling. However, they seem unlikely to prevail on their stated grounds, which are that Christian students shouldn't be expelled for "abiding by their beliefs." The counseling program is accredited by the Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs, and one of the requirements for maintaining that accreditation (without which the program would have virtually no chance of attracting students, since non-accredited degrees are almost useless in getting jobs) is that students in the program must be familiar with the ethical guidelines established by various professional associations. In refusing to affirm the homosexual behavior of clients, the expelled student was accused of violating various provisions of the groups' ethics codes, including prohibitions against discrimination based on sexual orientation and an American Counseling Association rule holding that its members should not demonstrate "an inability to tolerate different points of view."
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GLBT Religious News-
contributed by musing85
For the last six months, a number of Orthodox rabbis and educators have been preparing a statement of principles on the place of our brothers and sisters in our community who have a homosexual orientation. The statement is a consensus document that has so far attracted dozens of signatures. I'm not sure whether or not it would be considered legally or religiously binding on anyone not a signatory (and I doubt that the ultra-Orthodox sects would even consider signing it), but the statement itself is a stinging rebuke to a lot of the bilge that is usually pumped out by the bucketful when religious groups start taking on the question of homosexuality.
For example, it begins by stating:
All human beings are created in the image of God and deserve to be treated with dignity and respect (kevod haberiyot). Every Jew is obligated to fulfill the entire range of mitzvot between person and person in relation to persons who are homosexual or have feelings of same sex attraction. Embarrassing, harassing or demeaning someone with a homosexual orientation or same-sex attraction is a violation of Torah prohibitions that embody the deepest values of Judaism.
It continues:
Whatever the origin or cause of homosexual orientation, many individuals believe that for most people this orientation cannot be changed. Others believe that for most people it is a matter of free will. Similarly, while some mental health professionals and rabbis in the community strongly believe in the efficacy of "change therapies", most of the mental health community, many rabbis, and most people with a homosexual orientation feel that some of these therapies are either ineffective or potentially damaging psychologically for many patients.
We affirm the religious right of those with a homosexual orientation to reject
therapeutic approaches they reasonably see as useless or dangerous.
The declaration encourages gay and lesbian Jews to participate as fully as possible in their faith tradition, and for other Jews to be considerate of them and of their children (if they have any). It takes a stand against both outing and forcing people to stay in the closet, opting to allow the individuals concerned to make the decision about what to reveal and when, and how much to tell. It also comes out strongly against the idea of gay or lesbian individuals marrying someone of the opposite gender, the better to blend in, as doing so "...can lead to great tragedy, unrequited love, shame, dishonesty and ruined
lives."
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HIV/AIDS News-
contributed by FogCityJohn
For Women Only?
The biggest media sensation of the XVIII AIDS Conference in Vienna this month was a South African study showing that a vaginal gel containing the antiretroviral tenofovir helped protect women from HIV infection. Those who used the drug most faithfully achieved 54% protection against infection.
A recent article in the New York Times explores some of the questions raised by the research. Among them is this:
Might it also work for anal sex, and protect gay men?
We can only hope . . .
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contributed by FogCityJohn
Homophobia Kills
A study released by Johns Hopkins University and the World Bank at a preconference event for the biennial International AIDS Conference in Vienna warned that brutal antigay attacks in African nations may be fueling a surge in HIV infections. Writing in the Advocate, Gabriel McGowan of AIDS Project Los Angeles notes that the study may even help to explain a resurgence in HIV among U.S. gay men, who now account for one in two new HIV infections nationwide. He quotes Congresswoman Barbara Lee:
Back home, 22 LGBT people have been brutally murdered because of their sexual orientation just this year. We cannot stop HIV among MSM when they live in fear.
To which I can only say, amen.
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contributed by FogCityJohn
Onward and Upward
The International AIDS Society-USA Panel has released new recommendations regarding when antiretroviral (ARV) treatment should be initiated in HIV+ adults. The recommendations, published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, state:
Therapy is recommended for asymptomatic patients with a CD4 cell count 500/µL, for all symptomatic patients, and those with specific conditions and comorbidities. Therapy should be considered for asymptomatic patients with CD4 cell count >500/µL.
This represents a significant upward revision in the CD4 cell count at which ARV therapy is recommended. Prior guidelines called for starting treatment when the patient's CD4 cell count dropped below 350. ***********************************************************************************
GLBT Culture-
contributed by ajewella
Hollywood Publicist to Launch Coming Out Series
Howard Bragman - the openly gay publicist who has represented celebrities like Chaz Bono and Meredith Baxter during their coming out experiences - is developing a new television series about coming out of the closet. The premise of the show will be to follow "currently closeted celebrities in their journeys to publicly disclose their sexual orientation." Developed bu JUMA Entertainment and A&E, the new show will be called Coming Out.