Canada Intent On Deporting Transgendered Irish National Despite Evidence She Should Stay, Out Olympian Blake Skjellerup Credits Vancouver And Whistler Pride House With Creating Safe Spaces, Argentina Celebrates Historic First Gay Legal Marriage, Like Many A Republican Tom Emmer Cannot Comprehend Concept Of What Constitutes Free Speech

Tanya Bloomfield, a 40 year old transgendered native of Ireland who has been living in Canada since 2006, who owns and operates a business in Chester, Nova Scotia, says she will claim refugee status if immigration officials attempt to return her home, Bloomfield saying that being transgendered makes her a target for hate and harassment in Europe. Bloomfield, who became something of a local hero after she ran the Scotiabank Blue Nose marathon barefoot to raise monies for the LBGT local community, says that Canadian immigration officials continue to refuse her request to be issued a temporary work permit. Her attorney, Lee Cohen, said that Bloomfield will seek refugee protection, which, if accepted, would extend her stay in Canada another 18 months, during which she is able to apply for citizenship. If not, she will be forced to leave the country at the end of August. She came to country as Tim Bloomfield, marrying a female partner, a Canadian, shortly thereafter, beginning in earnest a transition from male to female. However, in January, 2009, the marriage ended, and with it her spousal sponsorship application became invalid.

New Zealand Olympic speed skater Blake Skjellerup credits Vancouver, British Columbia and Whistler’s Pride House for helping his decision to come out, the 28 year old doing so this years. “Competing in the Olympics and being in such an open environment like Vancouver made me realized that all those prejudgements I had we all wrong,” he said. Skjellerup, who recently signed an endorsement deal with Air New Zealand, will be at the airlines booth at Vancouver’s Sunset Beach this Sunday as a part of Vancouver Pride celebrations.

Argentina has celebrated its first official gay marriage, Jose Luis Navarro and Miguel Angel Calefato, partners for 27 years, were wed Friday morning in the city of Frias, in the Santiago del Estero Province. Another couple is scheduled to marry in the capital city of Buenos Aries late Friday, and there are three more couples set to do so over the weekend. Argentina is the first Latin American country to legalize same sex marriage, President Christina Fernandez signing the bill into law July 21st, despite serious opposition from the Roman Catholic Church, as well as the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Tom Emmer, the Republican candidate for governor of Minnesota, said Thursday that those upset with Target’s donation to MN Forward, a political action committee headed by staff culled mostly from outgoing Governor Tim Pawlenty’s staff, fail to understand that the donation - $100,000 in cash and $50,000 in branding benefits – falls under the auspice of free speech. “The sad part to me is, I thought we were supposed to be able to exercise our rights of free speech,” said the anti-gay Emmer. “We’re supposed to celebrate the fact that we have different perspectives. And it doesn’t seem like that what this is about. This seems to be more personal and we’ve got to get over that.” Monica Meyer, the head of OutFront Minnesota, the state’s largest gay advocacy group, suggesting that the protest over Target’s particular political donation is in fact an exercise in free speech, saying that “its consumer dollars going to fund a candidate who wants to put discrimination in the constitution. We have the right to be able to criticize that decision and to it publicly.” Target is the largest corporate donor to MN Forward, which has raised over $1 million from industry trade groups and companies, including Best Buy and snowmobile maker Polaris.