Law Professor Jonathan Turley Files Suit Challenging Constitutional Validity Of Utah’s Anti-Polygamy Law Basing Argument On Historic 2003 Supreme Court Gay Rights Ruling

Jonathan Turley is probably not the most popular man right now with supporters of same-sex marriage, The Los Angeles Times reporting that the George Washington University law professor has filed a suit challenging the constitutionality of Utah's anti-polygamy laws, and his argument is based on a landmark 2003 Supreme Court gay rights decision. That, according to Times’ editorial board, is not good news in the view of most gay rights supporters, who don't want their cause linked to that of polygamists any more than they want to see parallels drawn with people who engage in incest, bestiality and other taboo sexual practices. The Utah case involves Kody Brown, his legal wife, Meri Brown, and three other "sister wives." It is not actually about marriage, and it does not challenge the right of the state to refuse to issue wedding licenses to polygamous families. The Browns are in court because they fear they will be prosecuted. The 2003 gay rights case, Lawrence vs. Texas, was also a criminal matter unrelated to same-sex marriage. The court overturned the conviction of two men found to have violated a state law against same-sex sodomy. But in reaching that conclusion, Justice Anthony M. Kennedy offered a paean to intimate relationships defined by sexuality that easily can be transferred to the context of same-sex marriage, and potentially to polygamous marriages as well: "The case does involve two adults who, with full and mutual consent from each other, engaged in sexual practices common to a homosexual lifestyle. The petitioners are entitled to respect for their private lives. The state cannot demean their existence or control their destiny by making their private sexual conduct a crime. Their right to liberty under the [Constitution's] due process clause gives them the full right to engage in their conduct without intervention of the government." Kennedy emphasized in Lawrence that same-sex marriage was not before the court. Similarly, in an interview with The New York Times, Turley suggested that decriminalizing polygamy will not inevitably lead to a movement for polygamous marriage. But language addressed to one issue often surfaces in cases dealing with others. When Massachusetts' highest court decided to strike down the state's limitation of marriage to heterosexual couples, it cited the Lawrence opinion. So is polygamy about to receive the same legal status that same-sex marriage now has in several states? Not in the near term. For one thing, the U.S. Supreme Court has not recognized same-sex marriage, a prerequisite, some think, for acceptance of polygamous marriage. Meanwhile, the federal court in Utah, in parallel with Lawrence, may rule simply that the Browns and other polygamous families are immune to prosecution but cannot have their multiple ‘spiritual marriages’ blessed by the law. Writes The Times “But, like Lawrence, a ruling sympathetic to unconventional sexual behaviour could plant the seeds of a future campaign for full marriage equality. In that case, governments would have to prove that it's rational to limit marriage to two individuals, homosexual or heterosexual. That might seem obvious, but so, at one time, did the argument that marriage should be confined to opposite-sex couples.”

New Study To Show How LGBT Mormons Function Within Church

Evan Clayson came out to his Mormon congregation from the pulpit in Houston earlier this year."I was asked to talk about how the Holy Ghost can be a comforter," the 24-year-old software developer said. "I talked about relying on the Holy Ghost to boost my self-esteem ... It got a positive reaction. I had a couple of members give me hugs." But, as The Associated Press reports, like many gay Mormons, Clayson was not always so open, given the church's stance on homosexuality. Like many faiths, Mormonism teaches that any sexual relationship outside of traditional marriage is a sin, and in the past, the church preached that homosexual feelings, alone, were a sin. One faith leader last year even suggested gays could change their sexual orientation through prayer. So as a teen growing up in west Texas, Clayson skirted the issue with his parents, who are devout members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints with 10 children. Watching television one day with his mother, Clayson said he pointed out that one of the "Survivor" cast members was both gay and Mormon. "She said, 'You can't be both,'" Clayson said. It is a dilemma many gays in the church face as they struggle with their identities as both homosexual and religious faithful. Clayson is among nearly 1,000 others who are sharing their experiences with researchers at Utah State University, where an online study of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender Mormons is under way. The research is believed to be the first to focus specifically on the gay Mormon demographic, said Renee Galliher, a USU associate professor of psychology who is leading the study. "The broad goal is to provide a better description of how LGBT people function within the Mormon Church," said Galliher, who is working alongside Brigham Young University emeritus biology professor Bill Bradshaw. "You'll see that we're asking them to talk with us about a whole range of experiences both related to and unrelated to their religiosity," she said. Galliher is neither gay nor Mormon. Bradshaw is a Latter-day Saint and the father of a gay son. Their study was prompted by a shared interest in separating truth from myth in the gay Mormon experience. They also share a hope that the data gathered will provide insight and understanding that can be useful to Mormon Church leaders and families. The 149-question survey is being promoted through a network of support groups for gays with ties to Mormonism. The groups encompass a wide spectrum of perspectives — from gay Mormon fathers to gays married to heterosexual partners and those who believe sexual orientation can be altered — something researchers hope will guarantee that the data does not just reflect a set of stereotypes. "We've tried to develop a survey that was framed neutrally enough that people would be able to tell their stories, whatever their story is," Galliher said.

Australia Girls School Prohibits Same-Sex Partners To Formal

Students at a leading Perth, Australia girls school have launched a campaign for the right to bring same-sex partners to their school formal, The Herald Sun reporting that a group of more than 40 past and present St Mary's Anglican Girls School students have confronted school authorities and started a Facebook campaign to argue for better gay rights, but they say school bosses are refusing to back down and have told them that bringing a same-sex partner to the school ball is "inappropriate.” Western Australia Equal Opportunity Commissioner Yvonne Henderson said the school could be breaching the Equal Opportunities Act by discriminating on the basis of sexual orientation. Kia Groom, 24, who graduated from St Mary's in 2003, is leading the campaign. She said she formed the online group St Mary's Anglican Girls School Diversity this month. She said "there are students at the school who don't feel comfortable" and the school policy was "damaging.” Other former students claimed the school chaplain, who is a member of the Facebook group and supported acceptance of gay students, was fired for being "too different" and "open-minded.” St Mary's declined to answer questions when contacted several times this week. Ms Groom said gay rights had been raised many times at the school and each year students had elected representatives to approach the principal about bringing same-sex partners to the formal. And each year they were denied. Students were now determined to change the policy ahead of the next formal early next year."To me that is just unacceptable and it just shocked me ... there was no further explanation as to why," Ms Groom said, adding that "As a result, my school ball experience was fairly sub-par because I didn't get to spend the night with who I wanted to ... the whole thing was tarnished." Ms Groom, who is bisexual, said coming to terms with her sexuality was made more difficult by the school. She said it tried to “nip lesbian behaviour in the bud.” Association of Independent Schools of WA executive director Valerie Gould said schools could make their own policies. The Education Department said it supported healthy growth and development of students and ensured people were treated fairly in public schools. But Ms Yvonne Henderson said though there were some exceptions for religious schools and anyone had the right to lodge a complaint if they felt they had been treated "less favourably,” adding that "Our stance is the Act and the Act makes it quite clear that it is unlawful.” Gay and Lesbian Equality WA co-convenor Kitty Hawkins said other public and private schools had similar policies. Some public school students were required to meet school heads to "prove they were gay" or in a same-sex relationship before being allowed to bring a same-sex partner. "I understand that many single-sex schools wish to foster environments where they are able to mix with other genders, but this is still an inadequate reason (to exclude same-sex couples)," she said."Same-sex attraction and trans-genderism are not contagious and allowing one or two same-sex couples to attend a dance together will not insinuate that the entire year will then follow suit." Ms Hawkins said same-sex couples and trans-gendered students were bullied and teased, which often led to mental illness, self-harm, substance abuse and even suicide. "Schools public or private have an obligation towards their students to ensure that they are able to learn within an environment that is safe, respectful and accepting," she said. "To bar same-sex couples from a dance sends a strong message. For a young person in such an environment, this can be devastating."

24 Gay And Lesbian Couples Wed In New York “Pop-Up Chapels In Central Park

Twenty-four gay and lesbian couples were wed Saturday under two “pop-up” chapels designed to celebrate the first full weekend of same-sex marriage in New York, CNN reporting that with every “I do,” jubilant whoops and cheers burst from the crowd, a mix of friends, family and passers-by. The weddings, although held adjacent to the commotion of New York City’s Columbus Circle, felt comfortably ensconced in Central Park. The event’s organizers reported no protests or disturbances throughout the day. The two chapels, named KISS and ICRAVE, were chosen from more than 50 entries after a 10-day design competition. KISS, designed by architect Guy Zucker, consisted of two interlocking, helix-shaped wood frames. Carley Roney, co-founder of the marriage service The Knot, which co-sponsored the event, said KISS was constructed this way because, as with a marriage, “the two pieces can’t stand on their own. They need each other to stand up.” Meanwhile, ICRAVE, designed by architect Lionel Ohayon, covered the betrothed with an array of rainbow-coloured ribbon bands dangling from a makeshift roof. The rainbow colors were chosen to reflect gay pride, Roney said. While the pop-up chapels will be demolished after the event, the newlyweds said there was nothing ephemeral about the vows taken beneath them. “I promise to always help you find your keys; I promise to give you all the credit when people compliment me in your clothes... I promise to always have your back,” Tiffany Hopkins said to her new wife, Katrina Olson. “The only thing I can’t promise you is my heart, ’cause you stole it so many years ago.” Afterwards, a friend of the couple’s played The Beatles’ “When I’m Sixty-Four,” inviting a sing-along from the street crowd and many of the event’s volunteers. Like the ceremony for Hopkins and Olson, the services throughout the day focused far more on the relationships than the novelty, or historical significance, of a same-sex marriage. Shari Berkowitz, one of the wedding’s officiants, said this marked a change from some of the same-sex commitment ceremonies she oversaw 15 years ago, which were often marked with tension. On Saturday, Berkowitz officiated the wedding of Gabrielle Harmon and Jacqueline Cabrera. “Now, you will feel no rain, for each of you will be shelter to the other,” she said at the ceremony. The weather Saturday (sunny without a cloud in the sky) seemed to make this assurance unnecessary. Additionally, the day’s attendees said their thoughts were not clouded by the lawsuit, filed this Monday by the conservative group New Yorkers for Constitutional Freedom, challenging the legality of the same-sex marriage law.“I think it’s going to die,” Jan Frankel said of the lawsuit before she married Jessica Schoen. Bex Schwartz, one of the event’s organizers, added, “I’m an eternal optimist; I hope the right way will win out... people realize that we can’t say some people are better than others.” Although the Rev. Jason McGuire, NYCEF’s executive director, has questioned the impact of same-sex marriage on religious institutions, the wedding ceremonies Saturday seemed to embrace the convergence of religious rites and homosexuality. For instance, during the wedding of Tom Carujo and Scott Baumann, a gay couple of nearly 30 years, Pastor Mark Cutolo discussed the significance of the rainbow in the Bible. After the flood, “the eternal God gave Noah the rainbow as a promise he would never destroy the earth again,” Cutolo said. Now, rainbows also serve as a powerful symbol of gay rights and diversity, he said, and the two are complementary, not contradictory. “So, the rainbow is a sign of hopefulness, of life,” Cutolo said, looking up at the effervescent ICRAVE. “A sign that we feel blessed by God.”

Homophobic Racist Teacher With Ties To White Supremacist Group Hired As Principal Of Catholic High School In Bronx New York

A malcontent educator with connections to a white supremacist group is running a Bronx Catholic school where most of the students are black and Latino, The New York Daily News reports. 48 year old Frank Borzellieri was quietly promoted to principal of Our Lady of Mount Carmel School two years ago - despite a history of controversial writings and campaigns, including a push to ban a biography on the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. In 2004, Borzellieri wrote the book "Don't Take It Personally: Race, Immigration, Crime and Other Heresies," in which he declares "diversity is a weakness" and says the rising black and Hispanic populations in America will lead to the "New Dark Age." He has also written frequently for the white supremacist publication American Renaissance, with which he is still "intimately involved," the non-profit Southern Poverty Law Center says. Borzellieri declined comment. Inexplicably, Mount Carmel pastor, the Rev. Eric Rapaglia, said he knew of Borzellieri's views, but didn't "see any cause for concern" when he hired him to run the 200-student elementary school. "I knew of him from my last parish," he said. "Do I agree with all of it? No. But I think much of it is valuable and logical and reasonable,” adding that "A lot of his ideas would actually benefit minorities." Borzellieri, who unsuccessfully ran for state Assembly in 1994 and City Council in 1997, previously made headlines as a school board member in District 24 in Queens, where he lives. During his board tenure, from 1993 to 2002, he tried to ban literature he labelled "anti-American" from school libraries. His targets included books on different races and culture, and a biography of King; Remove an openly gay teacher and gay-rights activist from the classroom at Public School 199 in Sunnyside, and ban school employees from making any references to homosexuality; introduce a resolution calling for students to be taught that U.S. culture is superior. Borzellieri's views disturbed teachers at St. Barnabas School in Woodlawn, Bronx, where he taught English from 2006 to 2009. "You can't have someone with those beliefs or who writes that kind of stuff working at a Catholic school," said Annemarie Zagaglia, principal of St. Barnabas School during Borzellieri's time there. When Rapaglia was the pastor of St. Barnabas, Zagaglia warned him that teachers had legitimate concerns about Borzellieri, but said Rapaglia "dismissed the whole thing and that was the end of that." Rapaglia became pastor of Mount Carmel - in Fordham, Bronx - in 2009 and hired Borzellieri as principal that year. A former teacher at St. Barnabas said she alerted the Archdiocese of New York in 2007 that students had complained Borzellieri was using them as "research" for his books, but the teacher never got a response. Archdiocese spokesman Joe Zwilling said there is no record of a complaint against Borzellieri, but said the matter is under review. Zwilling added that sweeping changes in hiring parish principals went into effect in 2009 - right after Borzellieri got the gig. "Previously, pastors had great leeway and discretion in the hiring of principals," Zwilling said. "That practice usually worked well, but we saw room for improvement." Parents of students at Mount Carmel voiced concern after the Daily News informed them of Borzellieri's past. "I've heard kids say they don't like him," said one mother, a Jamaican immigrant. "I was wondering where the heck he came from. He shouldn't be teaching here. He could look at kids differently because they're black. It's not fair."

Miley Cyrus Gets Marriage Equality Symbol Tattooed On Ring Finger

Miley Cyrus has added another tattoo to her collection, according to The Hollywood Reporter, and this time it is a symbol for marriage equality on her ring finger. The singer posted a photo of her new tattoo on Saturday. “All LOVE is equal,” she tweeted, along with the photo. In the image, her other tattoo, a heart on her pinkie, can also be seen. Soon thereafter Twitter follower messaged back that Cyrus should “look up Leviticus, 1 Corinthians. Read both chapters and tell me where God says homosexuality, incest and polygamy is ok?” Cyrus responded “where does it say in the bible to judge others? Oh right. It doesn't. God is the only judge honey. 'GOD is love.'” Cyrus has often been vocal about her support of same-sex marriage on Twitter. In July, when the verdict for the Casey Anthony case was announced, Cyrus took a moment to express her disappointment on both the verdict and the fact that same-sex marriage was still illegal in the state.“You know the world is skewed when people get away with murdering children but we cant get gay marriage legalized in the state of California," she tweeted. In 2009, she voiced her support for Perez Hilton in his feud with the former Miss California, Carrie Prejean. After Prejean told the audience that she did not believe same-sex marriage should be legalized during the Miss USA pageant, Hilton launched an online campaign criticizing her comments. “I am a Christian and I love you — gay or not,” she wrote to Perez Hilton. “Because you are no different that anyone else! We are all God’s children!”

Rick Santorum Says Same Sex Marriage “Wrong And We Should Fight It In Every State;” Presidential Candidate Adds “Media Behind Movement And Hollywood Behind This Movement

The Des Moines Register reports that after GOP presidential candidate Rick Santorum paraded through the streets of Indianola with his family on Saturday morning (there are nine Santorums in total) the former Pennsylvania senator spoke at a café in Winterset, the sometimes-forgotten home of one legendary actor. “It’s good to be here in Winterset – the real home of John Wayne,” Santorum said, in a not-so-subtle dig at Minnesota Congresswoman Michele Bachmann. “That’s all I’m going to say about that.” The Santorum family is on day five of an 18-day, 50-city tour across central Iowa leading up to the Ames straw poll. Santorum broke away from the family yesterday, however, to speak at the Western Conservative Summit in Denver, where presumptive presidential candidate and Texas Governor Rick Perry also spoke. After Perry said last week that he was “fine with” gay marriage at a state level, AP reports that “Santorum told about 1,000 people at the Western Conservative Summit Friday that New York ‘destroyed marriage’ and that states should not be permitted to allow gay unions.” In an interview with The Des Moines Register, Santorum elaborated, saying he believed gay marriage to be an issue pushed by special interests, not the American people: “You can’t have 50 different definitions of marriage. … It’s wrong and we should fight it in every state and we should try to pass a Federal law that makes sure that it is a uniform definition. … What’s happened is very powerful special interests and money are behind this movement, and the media is behind this movement and Hollywood is behind this movement, and it’s influencing the elite – the folks who are in the judicial branches and the branches of government. … I think this is an issue that needs to be settled collectively by the American public, not by a few group of elites who think it best to redesign the American culture.” A Gallup poll in May reported that 53 percent of surveyed Americans believe same-sex marriage should be valid under law, a slight but first-time majority.

Texas Governor And Presumptive GOP Presidential Candidate Rick Perry Supports Federal Limit On Same Sex Marriage And Creationism

Texas Governor Rick Perry said Saturday he supports a federal limit on gay marriage and thinks a creator put life on Earth, The Associated Press reporting that the Republican governor is considering a GOP presidential bid and preparing for his first political stop ahead of the key early primary in South Carolina, where social issues always play well. But Perry told The Associated Press in a telephone interview that a presidential campaign would concentrate on jobs, not evolution or same-sex marriage. "The issue that is most important and most on people's minds is jobs," Perry said. "The candidate that Americans can get excited about, that truly understands that and can deliver that, I think, is a candidate that is really going to excite the imagination and get the juices flowing of the electorate out there," he said. Pointing to an increase in employment in his state, the governor said he's cracked the code for figuring out how to create jobs. Perry said the stimulus and job creation efforts of President Obama haven't worked. "I think we poured about $4 trillion down that rat hole and government has not created a job," he said. Supporters of the stimulus plan point out that jobs were saved because of the effort congressional Republicans opposed. And while Perry fought Washington over accepting a portion of Obama's economic stimulus package because of strings attached to the money, the state ended up using billions of the federal aid to balance the state budget, avoiding a possible financial disaster. The 61 year old Perry said social issues should be decided state by state and even remarked that New York's passage of gay marriage law was that state's business. Still, he said he would support a constitutional amendment that takes away the power of the states to decide who can get married. "Yes, sir, I would. I am for the federal marriage amendment," he said. "And that's about as sharp a point as I could put on it." Perry has used more than words to support tempering evolution taught in schools with creationism. In July, he appointed a biology teacher who disputes evolution as chairwoman of the Texas State Board of Education. In 2009, that 15-member board put the national spotlight on Texas in a debate that led to adopting standards encouraging schools to look at "all sides" of scientific theory. It now is considering educational materials that promote intelligent design even though a federal court ruled against teaching the theory that life on Earth is so complex that it must have come from an intelligent higher power. "There are clear indications from our people who have amazing intellectual capability that this didn't happen by accident and a creator put this in place," Perry said. "Now, what was his time frame and how did he create the earth that we know? I'm not going to tell you that I've got the answers to that," Perry said. "I believe that we were created by this all-powerful supreme being and how we got to today versus what we look like thousands of years ago, I think there's enough holes in the theory of evolution to, you know, say there are some holes in that theory."

Teacher Testifies That In Weeks Before Being Fatally Shot Lawrence King’s Behaviour Was Increasingly Disruptive

In the weeks before he was fatally shot, Larry King's behaviour at E.O. Green School emboldened as he began wearing high-heeled women's boots, girl's jeans, and eye shadow to school, The Ventura County Star reporting that his attire were becoming an increasing distraction and disruption at the Oxnard school, and not enough was being done to deal with it, King's former teacher and her assistant testified Friday in the murder trial of Brandon McInerney. Anne Sinclair, a special education teacher who had King in two classes, said his clothing was a disturbance for the other students. A few weeks after he started wearing boots and makeup to school, King, 15, was shot twice in the back of the head. McInerney, 17, is charged with murder and a hate crime. His trial completed its fourth week on Friday. Sinclair did not directly complain to the administration about the boots King was wearing, which she thought were outside the mandated dress code. Instead, she asked her assistant to say something about it. "I was not tenured at that point and didn't want to make a wave," she said. Other students were complaining that King was getting special treatment because he was wearing tight-fitting girl’s jeans, which are not allowed in the dress code, she said. King once came up to Sinclair and another student sitting down and asked to go to the bathroom. When she said no, he created an uncomfortable situation when his midsection was inches from the other student's face, which she described as sexual harassment. Senior Deputy District Attorney Maeve Fox reminded her of a statement she made after the shooting during which she never characterized the incident as sexual harassment. Fox even did a little dance of moving back and forth on her legs as if she had to go to the bathroom, asking Sinclair if that's what King did. Sinclair said she could not remember. Fox then asked Sinclair why she did not report so-called sexual harassment, as required by state law. "Other times, when I tried to report things, it wasn't being addressed," she said. "And I was not tenured at that point, and I was looking out for my tenure, to be perfectly honest." Judy Valenzuela, an assistant teacher who worked in Sinclair's classroom, said King started the school year as a nice kid but seemed to develop an attitude after winter break when he started wearing the boots and makeup. The first day she saw him wearing the suede, 4-inch heeled boots, she went to the school office to ask if it was allowed in the dress code."They said there was nothing in the dress code that said they couldn't wear high heels, but that is the first time I'd noticed anyone, even a teacher, wearing something so high," she said. "So I never said anything, if they are not going to stand behind it." She said she didn't think Assistant Principal Joy Epstein was truthful when she said King was not a disruption at the school. "I just didn't think she was doing what she was supposed to be doing," Valenzuela said. "There is no way that with all the talk and all that was going on at the school, I can't imagine her not knowing there was a disturbance in the school. There is no way I can imagine someone not knowing, especially an administrator."Valenzuela said an e-mail from the administration that said King was free to express himself was proof enough that there was knowledge of the issue. Earlier Friday, Dawn Boldrin, the teacher in the classroom where the shooting occurred, finished her testimony. Fighting back tears, Boldrin said King was a sweet kid who seemed to want more attention in the few weeks before he was killed. He told her his parents were abusing him, she testified, and she felt he needed protection. King's parents have denied that allegation. Under cross-examination, Boldrin said she had taken medication and suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder and depression after the shooting. She is no longer on medication, she said. Boldrin, who had given King a homecoming dress, said she never personally saw any behaviour problems with King in her classroom. She said she had no personal knowledge that Epstein knew of problems with King, but that other friends had told her about King's behaviour. "They told you about the problems, but you still gave him that dress?" Fox asked.

"Yes, I did," Boldrin said. "Do you have a certain amount of guilt over Larry King's death?" Fox asked later. "You bet," she said. "And I have guilt over Brandon sitting right there." Boldrin said the fact that she no longer has a job as a teacher and that she wishes McInerney's trial were being held in juvenile court, where he could get a lighter sentence, did not influence her testimony. "I have nothing to lose," she said. "I work every day at living with what we have been through." Although not known to the jury, King's mother, Dawn King, was banned from the rest of the trial because McInerney's lawyer said she called Boldrin's 13-year-old daughter a derogatory name Thursday while walking out of court. Outside the courtroom, Larry King's father, Greg, said his wife was offended that Boldrin, defense attorney Robyn Bramson and McInerney's mother were crying when the defense was showing a photo of Larry King. Fox objected that Bramson was wearing a "Save Brandon" bracelet. She said it was inappropriate and unprofessional. Bramson said it was a matter of free speech. "I'm not going to tell you what to wear, but it is certainly unusual," said Ventura County Superior Court Judge Charles Campbell. "But there are a lot of things that are unusual about this case." The trial is expected to last at least another three weeks.

In Yet Another Example Of Multiculturalism Failing, Political Science Professor Shinder Purewal Suggests Overt Displays Of Sexuality At Pride Parades Should Be Banned; “Women Had To Fight For The Right To Vote And They Didn’t Go Out Walking Naked”

Days before Vancouver's annual pride parade, a Kwantlen Polytechnic University professor has caused controversy by calling the event "vulgar" and by suggesting it should be banned, CTV News reporting that it all began with a pair of messages Shinder Purewal posted to his Twitter account Thursday afternoon, which criticized the "obscene sexuality at display in the parade,” adding that “Vancouver’s so called ‘Pride Parade’ should be banned. It is vulgar ... to say the least.” Purewal clarified his comments for CTV News on Friday, saying he has been a long-time supporter of same-sex marriage and that his objection to the parade has nothing to do with gay rights. "Everyone who does not like sexual display in downtown is not a hatemonger," Purewal said in an e-mail statement. "I have raised a reasonable question about one aspect of the parade. In a civilized society, let's debate as civilized people." Vancouver Pride Society president Ken Coolen admits there are sexual aspects of the parade, but said calling for the popular annual celebration to be banned and labelling it as vulgar crosses a line. "The comments do come across as being homophobic," Coolen said. "If I was a student in one of his classes and I was struggling with my sexuality I would not feel comfortable being taught by him." Coolen acknowledged that the parade has "risqué" aspects, but said it is nothing you wouldn't see on television. "Pride is an opportunity for people to be proud of their authentic self," Coolen said, adding that "in the past, even being gay or lesbian was considered vulgar. It's all very subjective." Purewal says he is no stranger to discrimination, having immigrated to Canada in 1979 to face what he calls "open racism in school and on streets." He added that he has openly argued in favour of gay marriage on radio and television. In an interview with the National Post Friday Purewal was asked if he thinks the public turns a blind eye to overt sexuality in the parade when they would not in day-to-day life? He answered “It’s been accepted. And in our society, anything people have on their minds, the sooner you say something, people are always afraid in Canada of being dubbed racist, homophobic, you name it, we have it. It’s almost that fear of being labelled, that people don’t say it.” When it was pointed out that the gay community would say that Pride is a celebration of their sexual identity as much as their overall identity, and that therefore why cannot they flaunt it, Purewal replied “Sexuality is what you do within the four walls of your home and that’s your business. Openly in streets, we don’t normally do that. Heterosexuals, we don’t display that. If someone says we’re making a parade by the gay community, it already sends the message that this is put on by people with different sexual orientations.” Reminded that gays have had to continually fight for acceptance and for their rights, Purewal said “So many other groups in Canada had to do that too though. Women had to fight for the right to vote and the fight to be recognized as persons. They didn’t go out walking naked and saying ‘Look, we are women, see us.’” Purewal added that he will not be attending the Pride Parade, which begins Sunday at noon in downtown Vancouver.

Cuba Considering Same Sex Civil Unions, Italian Parliament Rejects Bill Designed To Afford Protections To LGBT Community, Portland Oregon Mayor Adams Announces He Will Not Seek Re-Election, James Harrison Is Sorry For Calling NFL Commissioner An Anti-Gay Slur, Tim Tebow

There was no mention of it in the pages of Granma, the Communist Party newspaper, but when word came that Cuban authorities were considering the legalization of same-sex civil unions, it was a cause for quiet celebration, CNN World reporting that the announcement was made by Mariela Castro, daughter of Raul Castro and the director of Cuba’s national sex education center, during an interview with Spanish broadcaster Cadena Ser earlier this month. Castro, the island’s leading gay rights advocate, said Cuban authorities are already studying the proposal in preparation for the upcoming Community Party conference on January 28. “This is a historic opportunity, and I think we’re close to having draft legislation,” said Castro, who also revealed in the interview that gay Cubans can serve in the military. “We’ve been working on this issue for a long time, with a lot of activism. We’re starting to see results and a political solution.”

Italy’s parliament Tuesday rejected a bill to protect lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people from discrimination, The Associated Press reporting that the Chamber of Deputies voted 293 votes to 250 not to approve the legislation. Gay rights advocates have called on the European Union to step in. Italy already bans discrimination on the grounds of race, religion, ethnicity and nationality but campaigners say rising numbers of homophobic and transphobic attacks means LGBT people need more protection. Paolo Patane, head of gay rights association Arcigay, told AFP that “This parliament has betrayed justice and civility and has decided to support the violent,” and added that the EU should “help us face this extremely dangerous rise in homophobia, xenophobia and racism that the Italian parliament has decided to legitimise.” Nicola Duckworth of Amnesty International said that “In addition to passing the right laws, authorities and politicians should set the example. “They should promote equality and non-discrimination and refrain from and condemn derogatory and discriminatory remarks that foster a climate of intolerance,” adding that the parliament “wasted an opportunity.” Italy also prohibits gay and lesbian couples from marrying or adopting children. Prime minister Silvio Berlusconi is on record for opposing gay rights, although gay campaigners claim his alleged affairs with minors make him a hypocrite. Last year, the Italian leader famously dismissed criticism, saying: “It’s better to be passionate about beautiful women than to be gay.”

Portland, Oregon Mayor Sam Adams said Friday he would not run for re-election in 2012, The Oregonian reporting that in an online posting Friday afternoon, the openly gay Adams said he wanted to focus on his goals for the city, not a re-election effort. "Making progress in this manner -- progress that is accountable, resilient, and ever-improving -- is the reason that I entered public service. We have a lot more work to do, which brings me squarely to my future plans. I am under no illusion of how challenging the race for re-election would be. I’ve been in tough elections before; nobody thought I could win my city council race in 2004. But I believe for me to win re-election as mayor, I would need to fundraise and campaign full-time, starting now. As I have considered the reality of a possible re-election effort, I have come to the conclusion that I have a choice: Move this agenda forward, or campaign full-time for re-election. With the state of our nation in such flux, and so many local issues needing focused and hands-on mayoral leadership, for me, the choice is clear. My best service to Portland will be to complete the platform of change and improvement you elected me to deliver: Creating jobs, increasing the high school graduation rate, and making Portland the most sustainable city, with the most equal of opportunities. This work is well underway, and I’m committed to making every day of the next 17 months count. Thus, I will not seek re-election." City Commissioner Randy Leonard said Friday he was "very surprised" by Adams' decision and that he thought Adams could have won. Adams came into office with broad popularity that stretched from penthouse office suites to working-class neighbourhoods. Portlanders fell for Adams' smarts and energy and his promise to use both traits to recruit green companies, promote Portland on an international stage and lobby Washington for federal stimulus spending, but Adams stumbled badly when he acknowledged that he lied back in September 2007 when he denied rumours that he had had a sexual relationship with a teenager who had been a legislative intern. Adams said that while he first met the intern, Beau Breedlove, when he was 17, the two did not have sex until after Breedlove turned 18. Having survived two recall attempts, he was nonetheless viewed as vulnerable in a re-election campaign. His accomplishments haven't always resonated with the public, and even his supporters worried privately about his ability to lead.

ESPN reports that Pittsburgh Steelers has offered another apology for using an antigay slur when talking about Commissioner Roger Goodell and criticizing teammates for their play in Pittsburgh's Super Bowl loss to Green Bay in a Men’s Journal profile. "The comments I made about Roger Goodell were inappropriate at the least and way out of line," Harrison said. "I was speaking out of anger and frustration at the time and any comments that I may have made that offended anyone with my careless use of words, I apologize." Harrison says he used the slur while expressing his aggravation with the league's new player-safety rules, the 33-year-old earning $100,000 in fines for illegal hits last season. He thought he was venting about the new rules — and not Goodell personally — while calling him a "crook" and a "devil." It did not read like that, and Harrison now says he should have used a "better vocabulary" when talking about the issue and the commissioner. Harrison has not spoken to Goodell since the article was published and isn't sure whether he'll be disciplined by the league. "I don't think [Goodell] is a guy that's going to hold something on a personal level" against him professionally, Harrison said. "I attacked him on a personal level, which wasn't right. I don't expect anything to be done." There's also the question on whether Goodell would even have the power to suspend or fine Harrison. The comments were made during the NFL lockout, meaning technically Harrison wasn't working for the league at the time. Harrison said he wouldn't decide whether to fight any penalty until it is levied. The team has not indicated it will discipline Harrison, though Coach Mike Tomlin agreed with Harrison's assessment that his words were inappropriate. Harrison spoke to owner Art Rooney recently but hasn't been excluded from any team activities as the defending AFC champions opened training camp.

With the lockout over, teams opened training camps, including the Denver Broncos, who sit stocked with a number of quarterbacks, including failed underwear model Tim Tebow.

Oklahoma Republican Representative Sally Kern Says That Real Hate Comes From Gay Rights Advocates Who Dispute Sexual Reparative Therapy

Right Wing Watch reports that Oklahoma Republican legislator Sally Kern appeared with the American Family Association’s Tim Wildmon on American Family Radio Wednesday to discuss her new book, The Stoning of Sally Kern. Kern (who previously argued that homosexuality is a greater threat to the United States than terrorism and should be criminalized) and Wildmon agreed that the real “hateful” people are those who do not believe that gays and lesbians can change their sexual orientation and become straight. Wildmon said “Now Sally as you just said, nobody hates the individual homosexual. We want to see them come to repentance and know the Lord and have their lives changed, that’s what we want to see. So we have compassion for people like that.” Kern replied “To me what is hateful is when those people who say ‘you’re born this way, there’s no hope in change, you’re stuck in this, deal with it,’ that is hate. There’s no hope in that “ Kern ended the interview with a rallying cry for “God’s people to stand up” to gay rights advocates, who she called the “tip of the spear” of the movement “trying to tear down the moral fibre of America,” stating “ We’re losing our freedom of conscience. And if the homosexuals get what they want, and as you said it’s not just homosexuality, its immorality or adultery, all of that, but in my opinion the homosexual movement is the tip of the spear. They’re the ones who right now are beating down the door, have their foot in the door, trying to tear down the moral fibre of America. We have to stand up to that. The reason it’s the tip of the spear you don’t see ‘Adulterers Victory Fund’ out there trying to promote adultery. God’s people got to stand up to this.”

New Zealand Police Intensify Efforts To Locate Suspects In The Continual Harassment Of Lesbian Couple, Houston Montrose Place Park Dedicated To Those Who Died In Hate Crimes, The Subject Of Lawsuits Anoka-Hennepin School District Suddenly Has Anti-Harassment Website, Openly Gay 18 Year Old Socialite Seeks Public Relations Firm To Be All That He Can Be, Chris Pine Sizzles

The New Zealand Herald report that police in the Rodney area are intensifying efforts to find whoever is victimizing a lesbian couple in Mangawhai Heads. Officers believe someone in the community knows who is behind the attacks and yesterday urged them to come forward. Juliet Leigh and Lindsay Curnow have been targeted with arson and homophobic graffiti since January. In the latest attack, this week, "God hates dikes + queers" was sprayed across the couple's back fence in black paint. A packing shed on the property had also been destroyed by a suspicious fire in January. If anyone has information, or has seen people acting suspiciously in the area, they are asked to contact the police.

Twenty years ago, the murder of Paul Broussard in the Montrose area of Houston lead to changes in hate crime laws, and now, according to a report by KTRK-TV, there is a change in the neighbourhood where he was killed, something meant to honour Broussard and hopefully promote peace. Hundreds, including state legislators, came out on Thursday night to commemorate a special corner in the Montrose area. Organizers hope it will serve as a symbol to embrace diversity throughout the Houston area. Cameras flash at what is now a special corner on California and Grant in the Montrose area. A placard memorializes dozens murdered in the gay community over the last four decades. Don Sinclair's son is the first one on the list. The former pastor's teenage boy was murdered in 1979. "Policemen asked us if we knew he was gay and we did not know he was gay, so we had to spend a little time to find out about that was and we found out that most of the churches have got it wrong," Sinclair said. The garden is dedicated to anti-violence. It is also not far from one of Montrose's high-profile murders, the murder of Broussard in 1991. The hope is the garden will serve as a message of accepting diversity throughout Houston. "Some of it in Montrose, some of it from bullying in the schools," said Dr. Ann Robinson with the Montrose Counselling Center. Thursday night's ceremony was diverse, with State legislators on hand as well as parents who once had to learn to accept their gay children. "We struggled with it, finally went to PFLAG (Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays), got to accept them and now we celebrate their lives and we think they're great kids," said Ron Dupree, a father of two gay sons. Balloons and candles in the sombre ceremony now welcome what could be one of the most emotional corners in Montrose. "In the heart of the gay community, which is where a lot of the violence has taken place, that people will come together and stand up and say no," Robinson said. The anti-violence corner was dedicated to Broussard and others.

In response to bullying issues that resulted in a lawsuit, the Anoka-Hennepin School District is suddenly providing a special section on its website to address harassment problems, KSTP-TV reporting that according to a statement from the school district’s communications specialist, the website will help answer questions about actions taken by the district in areas of training and support and will also provide a link to policies regarding Harassment, Violence and Discrimination; Bullying Prohibition; and Sexual Orientation Curriculum. The Anoka-Hennepin School District is being sued for its Sexual Orientation Curriculum Policy, which says that staff members must remain neutral on matters regarding sexual orientation. Superintendent Dennis Carlson said in a statement that when it comes to GLBT issues, the community is split and opinions vary widely. The school board feels the policy is appropriate for the community and is not changing it at this time. The statement added that the policy is constitutional and that “the Supreme Court has recognized that public school officials have a valid interest in taking neutral positions on matters of public controversy.” But the Anoka Hennepin Gay Equity Team argues that the neutrality policy has contributed to an unsafe learning environment for students and staff in Anoka-Hennepin schools.

Gawker reports it received an employment opportunity: “Kevin Michael Barba is an openly gay, up and coming New York socialite who is currently seeking the help of a PR firm to help him gain recognition and press opportunities. Mr. Barba currently travels between homes in Manhattan, Palm Beach, and The Northfork of Long Island. With millions of dollars at his disposal, this 18 year old personality is ready to move to the forefront of society and let his personality, style, and panache grab headlines. Attached is a photo. “

A scruffy, smoking sexy Chris Pine spotted Wednesday in West Hollywood with a not-too-shabby unidentified male companion.

Found Guilty Of Assault Ontario Man Receives Suspended Sentence For Violent Anti-Gay Attack

An Amherstburg, Ontario man who punched an openly gay man and broke his nose after a night of drinking in downtown Windsor will not go to jail because of his otherwise "exemplary" background, an Ontario Court judge ruled Thursday, The Windsor Star reporting that 28 year old John Raymond Meloche received a suspended sentence and will be on probation for 18 months after he was found guilty of assault causing bodily harm in June. Meloche was acquitted of public incitement of hatred, but Justice Guy DeMarco said Thursday he suspects the attack did have "an element of gay bashing but I can't sentence you on suspicion," DeMarco said, citing Meloche's previously clean record, volunteer work and letters of support as reasons for not imposing a jail sentence. Meloche was arrested in the early morning hours of May 30, 2010, after he punched Justin Jarecki and Denton Callender inside Pizza Pizza on Ouellette Avenue following a verbal altercation. The victims had testified that Meloche was making derogatory comments about "fags" and that Callender confronted him before things got physical. Jarecki needed reconstructive surgery to fix his broken nose and cheekbone while Callender sustained minor injuries. Meloche fled the scene and was arrested after a foot chase by police. Meloche had testified that he punched the men because he feared for his safety that night. DeMarco dismissed that claim, saying he didn't believe Jarecki was a threat because of his "frail and timid" manner. "He posed no real threat to you," DeMarco said. "The injuries sustained by (Jarecki) were very serious. He could have died ... he could have been disfigured." In addressing the court, Meloche expressed remorse for the attack. "The whole night was horrible circumstances," he said. "I want to apologize. I'm sorry. That whole night messed up my life." Meloche's lawyer Andrew Bradie said his client was provoked by Callender's comments and his reaction was "impulsive, not premeditated." DeMarco made "a very careful and reasonable decision which emphasized properly the extent to which my client has been otherwise a significantly contributing member of the community ... and a law-abiding, responsible person," Bradie said outside court. He said Meloche works with an autistic child 18 hours a week, is active in his church, and has been involved with Big Brothers and Big Sisters, as well as fundraisers for children with cancer. While on probation, Meloche is prohibited from having contact with Jarecki and Callender, drinking alcohol or possessing any weapons. He must report regularly to his probation officer and agree to any counselling required, including anger management therapy.

Lambda Legal Files Suit Against Queens New York Sizzler For 2010 Violently Homophobia Bias Confrontation With Lesbian Customer

A major gay rights group says in a lawsuit against a Queens, New York Sizzler steak house that a manager spewed homophobic epithets at a customer and shoved her to the ground, The New York Daily News reporting that Lambda Legal charges in the suit that the frightening encounter ensued after the manager accused Liza Friedlander of not paying for the buffet during brunch with friends at the Forest Hills Sizzler September, 2010. The suit, filed in Queens Supreme Court, says the manager shoved Friedlander in the chest and kicked her in the legs while calling her a "fucking dyke" and other epithets. The suit contends the attack set off a frenzy of hateful chants from other patrons, spurring Friedlander's friends to frantically dial 911 out of fear she would be killed. One male diner called Friedlander a "he-she freak" and demanded she leave. Friedlander said it left her shaken."Just because I don't appear to be the Sizzler manager's idea of what a woman should look like doesn't mean that gives him permission to attack me and allow other customers to join in," Friedlander said. "My friends and I went in for Saturday brunch, just like everyone else in the restaurant that morning, but it turned into a nightmare. No one should have to go through that." The suit does not name the worker who allegedly shoved Friedlander, but Edgar Orellana, a manager at the restaurant on Metropolitan Ave. said he was the one involved in the confrontation. He vigorously denied the allegations in the Lambda Legal suit, insisting he neither touch nor verbally abused her. "I'm Hispanic. I respect people of all ethnicities, races or sexuality," he told The Daily News in Spanish. "I'm here to work, not hurt anyone." He described Friedlander as "violent from the start" and said she freaked out when the brunch period ended. "We told her she could continue eating from the buffet. She tried to hit me with her plate. I jumped back," Orellana said. "A customer grabbed her so that she would not hit me. I didn't touch her. I went to my office and called 911. I did not come out again." The suit is believed to be the first test of an anti-bias law passed last year that allows victims of anti-gay violence to sue their attackers in civil court. It accuses Sizzler of violating Friedlander's civil rights by the alleged verbal and physical attacks. "What was supposed to be a relaxing, enjoyable brunch at Sizzler turned into a horrifying ordeal of discrimination, violence and degradation,” Natalie Chin, Friedlander's lawyer said Thursday. The suit seeks unspecified damages.

California Same-Sex Marriage Ban Case To Be Heard September 6

California's highest court says it will hear arguments right after Labour Day on an issue that is likely to prove decisive for the fate of the state's voter-enacted ban on same-sex marriages. The Associated Press reports that the California Supreme Court scheduled a September 6 hearing to consider whether ballot initiative sponsors have authority to fight court rulings on their measures if the governor and attorney general refuse to appeal. The question is pivotal to the future of the 2008 ban, known as Proposition 8, because former Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and Governor Jerry Brown, in his previous role as attorney general, refused in 2010 to challenge a federal court ruling that struck down the law as a violation of gay Californians' civil rights. The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals is reviewing an appeal brought by the group that qualified Proposition 8, but said it could not reach the broader constitutional issues until it determined if the group had legal standing. The appeals court has asked the Supreme Court for its guidance in interpreting state law.

Bishop Eddie Long Has A Fifth Accuser And He Is Apparently An Angry Ex-Lover

FOX 5’s I-Team has uncovered that there was a fifth accuser in the Bishop Eddie Long sexual misconduct case. He never filed a lawsuit and his name was kept a secret, but Centino Kemp's allegations of sexual misconduct against Bishop Long brought him front and center into the recent settlement negotiations. Centino Kemp, sometimes called Centinio, is young, having just turned 22, and reports are he met Bishop Long years ago. He has Long's name tattooed on his wrist, and he is currently recording songs written from the perspective of an angry lover. The well-known sex scandal involving Bishop Eddie Long began when four young men, all former members of New Birth Missionary Baptist Church, filed suit accusing the bishop of lavishing money, trips and gifts on the young adult s, while having sexual contact with them. The case was finally settled in secret back in May. Sources say an undisclosed amount of money was paid to the young men. Bishop Long, in court papers, denied the allegations and later issued a statement saying it was time to move forward. Now, FOX 5 reports that after the initial lawsuits were filed, Centino Kemp came forward with similar allegations of sexual misconduct against Bishop Long. Our sources say he became involved in the settlement talks. He was the mystery man. Though his name was never made public, he may have played a significant role in the mediation. A source says Kemp has been taking part in countless $100 an hour sessions in Atlanta recording studios for the past two months. Some are profanity-laced, sexually-charged stories of angry, jilted lovers, like Kemp’s song titled Pornography. According to various social media posts, Centino Kemp is 22 years old, single, tattooed, and always sporting different looks. He tweets openly of gay rights, and dreams of taking the recording world by storm. One source says Centino Kemp, who was raised in the Bahamas, met Bishop Eddie Long years ago during a visit to New Birth while he was a teenage student in a Florida college. The relationship meant enough for him to tattoo Eddie Long's name on his wrist, followed by the words, “Never a Mistake, Always a Lesson.”

Judge Dismisses Suit To Stop Christian Prayer Rally Sponsored By Texas Governor Perry

A federal judge dismissed a lawsuit that sought to stop Texas Governor Rick Perry from sponsoring a national day of Christian prayer and fasting, ruling Thursday that the group of atheists and agnostics did not have legal standing to sue, The Associated Press reporting that U.S. District Judge Gray H. Miller said the Freedom From Religion Foundation argued against Perry’s involvement based merely on feelings of exclusion, but did not show sufficient harm to merit the injunction they sought. “The governor has done nothing more than invite others who are willing to do so to pray,” Miller said. Rich Bolton, who argued for the group, said he was considering an appeal. “I wonder if we had a Muslim governor what would happen if the whole state was called to a Muslim prayer,” said Kay Staley, one of five Texas residents named as plaintiffs in the suit. “I think the governor needs to keep his religion out of his official duties.” Staley said she would be at the prayer rally to protest. The Freedom from Religion Foundation argued in the lawsuit that Perry’s involvement in the day of prayer and fasting would violate the First Amendment’s establishment clause. The event, which is called The Response, is scheduled for August 6 at Houston’s Reliant Stadium, features a number of anti-abortion, anti-gay evangelicals, including the American Family Association, which has been criticized by civil rights groups for promoting anti-homosexual and anti-Islamic positions on the roughly 200 radio stations it operates. A day earlier, Perry, a presumptive GOP presidential candidate, defended the event, comparing it to President Barack Obama’s participation in the National Day of Prayer. “My prayer is that the courts will find that the first amendment is still applicable to the governor no matter what they might be doing and that what we’ve done in the state of Texas or what we’ve done in the governor’s office is appropriate,” he said. “It’s no different than what George Washington or Abraham Lincoln or President Truman or President Obama have done.” Perry, an evangelical Christian, said he didn’t yet know what his role in the rally would be. “I’m going to be there — I may be ushering for all I know — I haven’t gotten my marching orders,” he said. “It’s not about me and it’s not about the people on the stage either, this is truly about coming together as a state lifting up this nation in prayer, having a day of prayer and fasting. That’s all it is.” The foundation said it does not oppose politicians taking part in religious services, but that Perry crossed a line by initiating the event, using his position as governor to endorse and promote it and by using his official website to link to the organizer’s website. The plaintiffs also contend that Perry’s use of Texas’ official state seal to endorse the event and his plans to issue an official proclamation violate the Constitution. An appellate court in April dismissed the group’s previous lawsuit against the Obama administration over the National Day of Prayer, on which people of all faiths were invited to take part. Like Miller, the three-judge panel in that case ruled that the group could not prove that they had suffered any harm when the president issued a proclamation observing the day.

Apple Follows Others And Removes iTunes From Christian Values Network Following Complaints It Raises Funds For Hate Groups

Time Magazine reports that Apple has removed iTunes from the Christian Values Network.CVN, which operates shopping portal CVG.org, raises money for various religious groups through product purchases at over 600 participating companies (including Apple), alongside Target, Avon, Netflix, Microsoft, Macy's. But according to the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC), some of the religious groups are "active hate groups" engaged in "anti-gay, anti-women" activities. A few of the groups are obvious in their actions, for instance, the founder of Abiding Truth Ministries, Scott Lively, wrote a book titled The Pink Swastika: Homosexuality in the Nazi Party, which attempts to link homosexuality with extreme militarism in the Nazi party, and the Family Research Council actively lobbies against LGBT rights and advocates a one-year waiting period before a married couple with children can legally divorce. Their inclusion in CVN's network prompted student (and apparent Apple enthusiast) Ben Crowther to launch a campaign through Change.org, petitioning CVN business participants to "Stop Supporting Anti-Gay Hate Groups." The petition asks CVN to "remove the five listed hate groups from their website," claiming they're "discriminatory and encourage violence against LGBT people, all while promoting their bigoted missions in the name of religion." Change.org notes that "many legitimate religious groups...can earn money from your purchases," but singles out the five groups listed by the SPLC as reason enough for businesses to terminate their relationship with the group. “From the beginning, I knew that once this issue was brought to Apple's attention, they would not want to be a part of CVN because it funds anti-gay hate groups like Focus on the Family and the Family Research Council," said Crowther in a statement. "Apple is a fair-minded business. I'm glad this petition helped make Apple aware of this issue, and I am thrilled that they removed iTunes from CVN." Change.org says Apple's move to pull iTunes from CVN's network comes after upwards of 35,000 people signed similar petitions at both Change.org and AllOut.org, an LGBT advocacy site (the petition at Change.org alone has been signed by nearly 23,000 people). Apple's not the first to go. Microsoft dropped out of CVN's network two weeks ago, followed by others like Macy's, REI, Delta Airlines, BBC America, and Wells Fargo.

Every Member Of Massachusetts Congressional Delegation Save Senator Scott Brown Make It Gets Better Video

Every member of the Massachusetts congressional delegation, except for Senator Scott Brown, appears in a new It Gets Better video aimed at helping gay teenagers who are contemplating suicide or struggling with depression, according to a report by The Boston Globe. “I know you may feel that even the people who are closest to you can’t understand what you’re going through," Senator John F. Kerry says as he starts the piece. “But I can tell you, you’re not alone," continues Representative Edward J. Markey, dean of the delegation. Eleven of the 12 members make a brief comment or two, except for Brown, the lone Republican in the delegation. The video concludes with comments from Representative Barney Frank, an openly gay congressman. Brown was invited to participate in the video, which was organized by Kerry’s office, but declined to take part, said two congressional officials. Brown’s spokesman, Colin Reed, defended that decision in a statement released yesterday. “Scott Brown has a strong record at the state and federal level against bullying and believes that all people regardless of sexual orientation should be treated with dignity and respect," Reed said. “His main focus right now is on creating jobs and getting our economy back on track." Unlike some of his fellow Massachusetts Republicans, Brown has spoken out strongly against same-sex marriage, supporting a constitutional amendment to ban such unions, and has opposed the repeal of the federal Defense of Marriage Act. Reed said Brown “believes in traditional marriage, but accepts that gay marriage is settled law in Massachusetts and believes it’s time to move on." Recently, Brown supported the repeal of the “don’t ask, don’t tell’’ policy banning gay men and lesbians from serving openly in the military.

Under Pressure From Family Research Council Head Tony Perkins Governor Perry Says “Gay Marriage Not Fine With Me”

Under pressure, Texas Governor Rick Perry took great pains to correct comments he made suggesting that he is fine with same-sex marriage, CNN reporting that in an interview with Family Research Council President Tony Perkins he hedged controversial comments made at a dinner in Aspen last week when he said that "Our friends in New York six weeks ago passed a statute that said marriage can be between two people of the same sex. You know what? That's New York, and that's their business, and that's fine with me." Thursday, Perry admitted to Perkins "I probably needed to add a few words after that 'it's fine with me.'" And he repeated his commitment to the 10th amendment as well as his conviction that marriage should be between a man and a woman. "It's fine with me that a state is using their sovereign rights to decide an issue. Obviously gay marriage is not fine with me. My stance hasn't changed,” adding "My comments reflect my recognition that marriage and most issues of the family have historically been decided by the people at the state and local level. And that is absolutely the state of law under our Constitution." Perry created controversy among social conservatives, a group of which he includes himself as a member when he initially made the remarks. And among the GOP presidential field of candidates, a group that he may join soon, Perry drew heavy criticism from fellow social conservative Rick Santorum. The former Pennsylvania senator quickly slammed Perry on Twitter Saturday saying, "So Gov Perry, if a state wanted to allow polygamy or if they chose to deny heterosexuals the right to marry, would that be OK too?" But almost a week later, the three-term governor sought to pacify his critics as he voiced support for a federal marriage amendment similar to the state-wide amendment in Texas passed during his administration that defines marriage as a union between one man and one woman. "To not pass the federal marriage amendment would impinge on Texas and other states not to have marriage forced upon them," Perry said. "Our Constitution was designed to respect states…I have long supported the appointment of judges who respect the Constitution and the passage of a federal marriage amendment. That amendment defines marriage as between one man and one woman and it protects the states from being told otherwise," he affirmed.

Thousands March In Jerusalem For Gay Rights; Police Arrest One Protester Who Pelted Participants With Urine-Filled Bags

The Jerusalem Post reports that as annual Gay Pride Parade kicks off in capital, Nitzan Horowitz tells marchers that the "parade is symbol of struggle for freedom in the capital" and, "We will not allow extremist groups to turn Jerusalem into Tehran." Police on Thursday arrested a haredi man on suspicion of throwing a stink bomb at marchers participating in Jerusalem's annual Gay Pride Parade. No injuries were reported in the incident. As the Jerusalem Gay Pride Parade kicked off earlier Thursday, MK Nitzan Horowitz, one of the leaders of the parade, told the thousands of marchers "the event is far beyond the gay community" and that "it is a symbol of the struggle for freedom in Jerusalem," adding "This is everyone's capital and it is a free city. We will not allow one extremist group to turn Jerusalem into Tehran." This year's Pride parade is the 10th one held in the capital. Horowitz has taken part each parade. "The gay community suffers from blatant discrimination within the familial framework and the education system," Horowitz said. "Israel is no just Tel Aviv. In many places there is violence and discrimination against citizens based on their sexual orientation and we must fight this without compromise." Earlier Thursday, police stopped a procession of four donkeys and a few dozen extreme right-wing demonstrators at the entrance to the Jerusalem. The demonstrators were attempting to get to the route of the Pride and Tolerance parade with the donkeys, to protest the "bestial" nature of homosexuality. More than 7,000 people were expected to be taking part in the Pride Parade, which also commemorates the shooting attack at the gay and lesbian youth center Bar-Noar in Tel Aviv in 2009. Also on Thursday, organizers in Jerusalem's tent protest announced that the tent activists would also join the pride parade to show their support with the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender community. Thursday’s event started at Independence Park, with speakers and performances, and march to the Knesset for a rally with music and activists in the Wohl Rose Garden. The march was led by MKs Sheli Yachamovich (Labor) and Nitzan Horowitz (Meretz), the second openly-gay Knesset Member. Speakers include MK Zehava Gal-On, and Rachel El Gabsi Bohadana, whose partner, Fabiola Bohadana, was killed in the Carmel fire in December. She is now fighting to have the state recognize her relationship so that their 18-month-old daughter can access the benefits given to the victims of the fire. "The community's struggle is not about sexual orientation," Yachamovich said prior to the march. "It's a struggle for political legitimacy." Other speakers talked about the gay community and the struggle for affordable housing, religious acceptance and other social issues. Meanwhile, some 1,000 ultra-Orthodox were expected to attend a legal counter-protest in Kikar Shabbat in the Mea Sharim neighbourhood of the capital, similar to last year, said Jerusalem police spokesman Shmuel Ben Ruby. There are no legal counter-protests planned for the parade route.

YNET News, meanwhile, reports that the police arrested a man on suspicion of pelting bags filled with urine from an apartment building onto people marching in the gay pride parade in Jerusalem. A sign was hung on the building, threatening death to gays and lesbians. Dozens of ultra-Orthodox protesters wearing sacks as a sign of mourning gathered at Sabbat Square in the capital, also in protest against the parade.

Hate Crime Investigation Underway After Street Preacher In England Tells Gay Couple They Will “Burn In Hell”

A hate crime investigation is underway after a homosexual couple claimed they were told they would burn in hell by a street preacher in Taunton, England. The Somerset County Gazette reporting that Craig Manning and his civil partner, who does not want to be named, were holding hands as they walked through High Street this month when they say a street preacher launched a loud tirade of homophobic abuse at them. Mr Manning claimed the man said they would burn in hell for being gay and the same man verbally abused them there last October. Mr Manning said that “If people want to preach the word of the Bible they can do so, but I don’t think they should be shouting homophobic abuse up the high street at people. Everyone in the street turned and looked when he started shouting. It’s not right that he should condemn us, and make us feel threatened and intimidated in the middle of town.” An Avon & Somerset Constabulary spokesman said the incident was being investigated as a hate crime “due to the nature of the abuse.” Sergeant Tony Crowter, of the neighbourhood policing team, said: “This man was walking through the town centre when someone shouted abuse at him because of his sexuality. This left the victim feeling harassed and distressed. This is clearly not acceptable behaviour, and it will not be tolerated anywhere in Avon and Somerset.” Martin Jevon, director of Somerset Gay Health, said that “Everyone has the right to an opinion but nobody has the right to exercise that opinion in a way that’s upsetting and potentially threatening. Most religious people don’t necessarily share this man’s opinion and would actually find it quite upsetting.” Anthony Williams, of Stoke St Gregory, who has preached in Taunton for 16 years, told the County Gazette he had nothing to do with the alleged incident. He said he had heard rumours about it and spoke out against the alleged behaviour of the man. In High Street yesterday on Wednesday he said that “We must preach the word of Grace, not just stand and judge people.”Police are asking for witnesses to come forward.

Same Sex Couple Households In Utah Increase 73-Percent Since 2000

The Salt Lake Tribune reports that more than ever before, same-sex couples living together in Utah are reporting their relationships in the U.S. Census. The number of households headed by gay and lesbian couples increased by 73-percent over the past decade, and they now account for about one of every 150 households here, according to 2010 Census data released Thursday. In contrast, the total number of Utah households grew by 25-percent. "Much of the increase is due to an increased willingness to report as opposed to Utah suddenly getting a surge of same-sex couples willing to move there, or that suddenly the [lesbian, gay and bisexual] population coupled at an increased rate," said Gary Gates, a demographer at the University of California-Los Angeles Williams Institute. Gates has noticed similar surges in other conservative states, including Arizona (70 percent), Montana (88 percent) and Oklahoma (70 percent). The growth was less dramatic in more socially liberal states, including California (36 percent) and New York (40 percent), where more gay couples may have felt just as comfortable reporting their status in 2000 as they did in 2010, Gates said. Household data has not yet been released for every state, so there is not a national average. Meanwhile, the number of heterosexual couples living together in Utah without marrying also increased by 66-percent, and they now head one of every 25 households in the state. The number of households headed by married couples increased by only 21-percent, but they account for three of every five Utah households. University of Utah research economist Pam Perlich said those changes come as public polls and academic research have shown that Americans — especially the younger generation — are more accepting of gays and lesbians, and also increasingly question the need for marriage. "Polls show about 70-percent of younger people are accepting [of gays]. There really is a generational shift," Perlich said, adding that Utah has the lowest median age in the nation. "I expect there is a similar propensity of younger kids to self-identify [as gay] more than the older folks who have been raised in very repressive and punitive sorts of environments where it’s fine to fire people or not give people housing." A changing climate made a difference for Kate Call, a 58-year-old American Fork resident, when she completed her Census form. A decade ago, she was living with a lesbian partner on a ranch in San Juan County. She did not have mail service so a Census taker, someone she knew in small-town Blanding, came to pick up her 2000 form. She reported her girlfriend as a roommate, rather than an "unmarried partner" because she feared being outed. "Generally, [people in rural Utah] are ‘live and let live’ but you will run into the occasional person who will discriminate against you," Call said. In 2010, Call looked forward to reporting her unmarried partner in the 2010 Census. She was living near Moab at the time. "I wanted to be counted in the state of Utah as being a same-sex couple," she said. "Some people think we are just a tiny fraction of the population when we’re more populous than they realize.” The Census shows 5,814 households in Utah were headed by same-sex couples in 2010, up from 3,360 in 2000. The number includes heads of households who identified a second adult as either a same-sex spouse or unmarried partner. Every county in Utah had at least one household headed by a gay couple — although Daggett and Piute counties reported only one each. Eighty percent of same-sex couples live in the four Wasatch Front counties of Salt Lake, Utah, Davis and Weber. Salt Lake County was home to 54 percent of Utah’s same-sex couple households. Salt Lake City itself claimed 19 percent, followed by 6 percent in West Valley City and 5 percent in Millcreek. Nearly a third of all same-sex couples — 1,813 — have children under the age of 18 in their homes.

Coalition Of Elected Officials Working To Reverse Parole Of Jon Buice; Sentenced To 45 Years For Brutal Targeted Murder Of Gay Banker Paul Broussard In 1991

Sometime in October, Jon Buice is set to walk out of a West Texas prison a free man, clear of his debt to the state for killing gay Houston banker Paul Broussard in 1991, but as The Houston Chronicle reports, a growing contingent of local elected officials is working behind the scenes to make sure Buice does not taste freedom quite yet. Buice (pronounced "Bice") is serving 45 years in prison for his part in Broussard's murder, which stunned Houston two decades ago. Commissioners in the Amarillo office of the Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles voted 2-0 on July 1 to approve Buice's parole. Harris County District Attorney Pat Lykos recently wrote a letter to the board, graphically recounting how 10 Woodlands-area "co-conspirators" drove to Montrose to bully homosexuals, targeting Broussard, then 27, and two friends. "The defendants swarmed out of their vehicles, chased Paul down a dead-end street, surrounded him and they attacked — beating the defenseless Paul Broussard with a nail-studded two-by-four, kicking him in the face, chest and groin with steel-toed boots, crushing his testicles, hitting him with their fists and, finally, Jon Christopher Buice stabbed him to death," the letter stated. Broussard died July 4, 1991, at St. Joseph's Hospital, after emergency surgery. Buice, now 37, pleaded guilty to murder and went to prison in December 1992. The other nine are on parole. State Senator John Whitmire (D-Houston) chairman of the Senate Committee on Criminal Justice, wrote a letter July 7 to the parole board, expressing concern that the vote for Buice's release involved only two parole commissioners and no governor-appointed board member. Whitmire also said the parole process is inconsistent. "It's amazing to me the number of nonviolent, young offenders they routinely deny parole, and then you see a murderer serving less than half his sentence get paroled," he said. Whitmire said it is unusual for him to write a letter to the parole board. "I think if you do it too often, they think it's your routine," he said. "It's not my routine. I don't get people in prison or out of prison." State Senator Rodney Ellis and state Representatives Jessica Farrar and Garnet Coleman, all Houston Democrats, also sent the board letters. Coleman said part of his reason for writing was this crime's "heinous nature." The parole board handles most parole reviews regionally, with offices in six locations. Each office has one board member appointed by the governor and two parole commissioners named by the board. The Amarillo panel handles parole requests from 27 West Texas prisons, including the Wallace Unit in Colorado City, where Buice was transferred last year after he developed a relationship with a female chaplain in Huntsville. There was no evidence the relationship was sexual, but officials deemed it "inappropriate." Buice was approved for parole in October under conditions of "maximum supervision," electronic monitoring and substance-abuse treatment. Reasons for his pending release included his age of 17 at the time of the offense and the college degrees he has earned in prison. Rissie Owens, the board chairwoman based in Huntsville, said the Texas Department of Criminal Justice Victim Services Division will process all protest information concerning Buice's pending parole and will send it to the Amarillo panel. The panel can review the information and decide whether to modify the previous vote, Owens said. Ray Hill, a long-time gay-rights activist and former prison inmate who has befriended Buice and is championing his release, said he takes issue with the often-repeated claim that the attackers used nail-studded boards and steel-toed boots. Hill said he was at the crime scene soon after it happened and neither saw nor heard evidence of such weapons. Broussard's autopsy noted a puncture wound with a surrounding abrasion on his back, indicating he was hit with a board with nails, said retired Judge Mike Anderson, the prosecutor at Buice's trial.
As for the boots some of the perpetrators wore, Anderson said he wasn't sure they had steel toes but thought they could still inflict injury. "It was so bad, nobody had to exaggerate," Anderson said. "We had a good-faith argument in saying they were attacked with boards with nails. There was some construction around there, and we thought this was a weapon of opportunity." Noel Freeman, president of the Houston Gay and Lesbian Political Caucus, said the group voted several months ago to oppose Buice's release and has encouraged its 800 members and 5,100 email recipients to write to the parole board. Nancy Rodriguez, Broussard's mother, said she appreciates the support. "I spend a lot of time on the phone, calling everyone I can think of, asking them to write letters to withdraw the vote," said Rodriguez, who lives in Georgia, where Broussard grew up and was a high school honour student before earning a degree at Texas A&M University. Andy Kahan, crime-victim advocate for the city of Houston for 19 years, said he and Rodriguez are planning to give state officials new information in the next month that they hope will block Buice's parole, although he declined to give details.

Oxnard California Residents Testify At Brandon McInerney Trial That Accused Killer Of Lawrence King Not Part Of Neo-Nazi Gang

Kooks, localism and the Nardcore punk scene were the topics discussed Wednesday in the Brandon McInerney murder trial, The Ventura County Star reporting that witnesses included a man with tattoos inked over most of his face and a singer who screams the lyrics in his punk band but spoke so softy that he had to speak up so the jury could hear him. The defense was trying to show that Silver Strand Locals is merely a designation that residents of the Oxnard, California beach community use to identify themselves, and Nardcore is nothing more than a respected music scene. The prosecution has argued that SSL, as most call it, is a criminal street gang and some of its members are white supremacists who influenced McInerney. McInerney, 17, is charged with murder and a hate crime for the 2008 shooting death of Larry King, 15, in an Oxnard classroom. Day 15 in the trial started with Tyler Treves defining localism on Southern California beaches. "Localism is your spot, where you are comfortable with people who live together," said the 24-year-old who grew up on Silver Strand. "When you have something good, you want to hold onto it — like ice cream." He went over surfing etiquette and what a kook is — calling it someone who does not know what they are doing in the water. When McInerney's lawyer Scott Wippert showed Treves a photo of a group from Silver Strand making what the prosecution called gang signs, Treves said they were just goofing off. One person appears to be making a Sieg Heil gesture. "It's a gathering of our friends, it's a joke," he said. "I'm surprised that nobody is giving the bird." Then he saw someone was. "Oh, there it is!" he said, causing the jurors to laugh. He said he never knew McInerney to be a violent or bigoted person. Under cross-examination by Ventura County Senior Deputy District Attorney Maeve Fox, Treves said he never saw any signs that McInerney was beaten or molested when he was a child. She showed him a number of images of graffiti around Silver Strand, one of which told kooks to stay away. She asked him if that comprised localism. "Like I said, it's like people who have good ice cream and they are trying to protect it," he said. Fox then showed him different images that were found in McInerney's belongings that mesh Nazi symbolism with the Nardcore sign. He said he had never seen it. Kyle Roman Benavidez took the stand next. In addition to the tattoos of straight razors that framed his face like long sideburns, the tattoos artist had a Nardcore sign on his cheek and a large, green one covering his throat. Around other tattoos on his wrist was a rubber "Save Brandon" bracelet. Wippert asked him what SSL means to him. "It is community," said Benavidez, 27. "It's a tight-knit community where we look out for each other and help each other out in any way we can." Under cross-examination, Fox reminded him that he had said gangs were involved in criminal activities. She then ran down a list of people who identify themselves as SSL who have been found guilty of a host of charges from selling methamphetamine to assault with a surfboard in the ocean. She also quoted him as saying that you cannot buy an SSL symbol in a store. "It is personal to those who identify themselves with SSL?" she asked. "Yes," he said. She then listed four fights McInerney has been involved in since he was 8-years-old and asked him if he thought McInerney was a violent person. Benavidez said he was not. "Do you consider shooting to be a violent act?" she asked. He said yes. She also asked him if he was offended by graffiti found in Silver Strand that had SSL and a swastika in the middle of it. "It's just some knucklehead drawing it," he said. As she did with Treves, Fox asked Benavidez about his relationship with a known vocal white supremacist who McInerney spent time with in the days leading up to the shooting. Both said Matt Reaume never expressed those views to them. The final witness of the day gave a lesson on the Nardcore punk scene. Though Joseph Rivas — who spoke softly and wore a purple shirt with a matching tie — didn't look like a punk rocker, he had a deep knowledge of the Nardcore music scene that started in the 1980s. The name is an amalgamation of the words hardcore and Oxnard. One of the earliest and most influential albums was called, "Oxnard The Land of No Bathrooms," a sarcastic nod to the smell of agriculture. The prosecution has at times focused on the Nardcore symbols — a diamond with an X drawn through it — that were found on McInerney's belongings and their connection to the Silver Strand Locals. Rivas said the seminal bands that defined the Nardcore scene were made up of an ethnically diverse group of people and there are no racial or white supremacist overtones to the music. "Everyone has always been welcome," said Rivas, who fronts his own Nardcore band. His testimony will continue on Thursday.

Mental Health Evaluation Ordered For Suspect In Horrific Murder Of Gay 23 Year Old Mexican Immigrant In San Francisco

An update on a previous post, the man accused of killing a San Francisco restaurant worker and burning his body in Buena Vista Park is being held in a hospital jail ward because of concerns about his mental state, authorities said Wednesday. The San Francisco Chronicle reports that 22 year old David Muñoz Diaz was scheduled to be arraigned Wednesday in the killing of openly gay 23 year old Freddy Roberto Canul-Arguello, but Superior Court Judge Jeffrey Ross pushed his first court appearance to Friday and ordered a mental health evaluation. Diaz is being held on $5 million bail. He will be assigned a public defender when he is arraigned. Firefighters stumbled upon Canul-Arguello's body while responding to reports of a small brush fire in the Haight-Ashbury neighbourhood park early June 10. Canul-Arguello, an immigrant from Mexico, had spent the previous day working in the kitchen of Pi Bar on Valencia Street in the Mission District, said his brother, Ivan Canul-Arguello. After work, he went to a bar at Castro and Market streets, his brother said. The brother said Diaz was a friend of Canul-Arguello's, and that Diaz had told him he was with Canul-Arguello the last evening he was seen alive. Prosecutors have charged Diaz with murder, robbery, arson and mutilation of a body.

University Of Texas At Austin To Provide Gender-Neutral Washrooms Throughout Campus

The choice between using a men’s or women’s restroom is not conscious for most, but an effort to provide gender-neutral, one-stall bathrooms in all campus buildings will help meet the needs of people with disabilities, parents and people with non-normative gender identities, a University of Texas official said, The Daily Texan reporting that Linda Millstone, the associate vice president for the Office of Institutional Equity and Workforce Diversity, is leading the effort to ensure each campus building has at least one gender-neutral restroom for every five floors. Millstone said she went to the Building Advisory Committee with the idea to include gender-neutral restrooms in the blueprints of all new campus buildings, and they agreed. She said Pat Clubb, vice president for University Operations, agreed to fund the installation of gender-neutral restrooms in all existing campus buildings as well. “Most buildings already have one or two single-stall restrooms, so it has been as easy as taking down the male or female sign and installing a lock on the door,” Millstone said. Millstone said gender-neutral restrooms benefit a number of different people, including GLBT-identified persons, people with disabilities and people with medical conditions such as diabetes who need a private place to administer medication. “If I am a woman in a wheelchair and my attendant is a male, where am I supposed to go?” Millstone said. “I identified this problem and immediately several committee individuals were willing to help with the project.” Gender and Sexuality Center Director Ixchel Rosal said Millstone asked members of the center to locate all existing gender-neutral campus bathrooms. She said the list of restrooms is posted on their home page. “It’s actually out-of-date,” Rosal said. “We went to every single building on campus and looked at every single public-access restroom. The plan is to update the list by the end of this summer.” Rosal said the restrooms offer privacy to students who identify their gender in ways that may make using a men’s or women’s restroom uncomfortable or dangerous. “If someone goes into a restroom and is not perceived as belonging to that restroom, they may be negatively impacted,” Rosal said. “These are issues of safety.”Computer science senior Aria Bellows, who identifies as a transgender woman, said she believes the enforcement of building gender-neutral restrooms is a breakthrough for the GLBT-identified community. “I don’t typically use them myself,” Bellows said. “But for the life of transgender students on campus, they are very important. Some days you can be worried about how people will see you in either [restroom].” Bellows said she normally uses women’s bathrooms, but the gender-neutral ones are helpful in situations that all students might face. “They’re great if you need to change,” Bellows said. “It’s so much more convenient for people, and there are so many different reasons why you would like to have them around.” Steven A. Kraal, senior associate vice president for the Office of Campus Planning and Facilities Management, said some buildings are not appropriate for the incorporation of gender-neutral restrooms. However, Kraal said he is committed to meeting the facility needs of as many people as possible. Natural Sciences senior Chelsea Shipp said she really appreciates when women choose to take their young sons into the gender-neutral restrooms instead of the public women’s restrooms. “I’ve seen women take 8-year-old boys into the women’s restroom, and it starts to feel very uncomfortable,” Shipp said.

Matthew Mitcham Joins Blake Skjellerup As Asia-Pacific Gay Games Ambassador

Australia’s Olympic diver Matthew Mitcham, who was forced to withdraw from the 2011 World Diving Championships because of an abdominal injury, has been named an ambassador for the next Gay Games, SX News reports, Mitcham joining Australia’s Olympic cyclist Michelle Ferris and Australia’s first Gay Games ambassador, Olympic trampoline champion Ji Wallace. In its announcement, the Federation of Gay Games (FGG) said Mitcham joins New Zealand’s Olympic ice speed skater Blake Skjellerup, as Gay Games ambassadors representing the Asia-Pacific region. Mitcham read the athlete’s oath at the beginning of the 2010 Gay Games in Cologne, Germany and also took part in the International Rainbow Memorial Run for people living with HIV/AIDS and met participants at various venues including the Gay Games Scholarship reception. FGG co-president Emy Ritt said Mitcham’s involvement in the 2010 Gay Games alongside Ferris gave them the opportunity to see “first-hand the life-changing power of this event which brings athletes from around the world together in a celebration of sport and culture in a safe and welcoming environment,” adding “And beyond this event, all of our ambassadors understand our mission to promote the fundamental human right to practice sport and culture free from violence and discrimination.” FGG co-president Kurt Dahl welcomed Mitcham and Skjellerup’s support for the 2014 Gay Games. “We are very grateful that both of these young men have decided to commit to the work of Gay Games ambassadors. We recognise that for athletes at the peak of their competitive career, commitments must be made with care. Each has taken their time to join us, and know that this means that they are fully invested in supporting the next Gay Games,” Dahl said. Gay Games ambassadors support the games and the FGG’s work “to develop the lesbian, gay, bi and transgender sports movement, to combat homophobia in and by sport, and to promote the FGG’s message of ‘Participation, Inclusion, and Personal Best’.” Ferris became Australia’s second Gay Games ambassador taking on the role in May 2008. The next Gay Games will be held in Cleveland and Akron, Ohio in 2014.

Colombia Supreme Court Effectively Legalizes Same-Sex Marriage; Sets Deadline Of June 20, 2013 For Congress To Pass “Comprehensive And Orderly Legislation”

Tuesday, The Colombia Supreme Court ruled that homosexual partners currently lack certain rights afforded to heterosexual partners and instructed Congress to pass a remedy through "comprehensive, systematic, and orderly legislation" by June 20, 2013 to address the imbalance, and if Congress does not pass legislation in that time, homosexual couples will be permitted to go before a notary or a court to have their partnership recognized. That ruling was regarded as a victory for gay rights activists, although the outcome remains to be seen, CNN reporting that the court did rule on Tuesday that gay couples in de facto unions constitute a family, and that gay rights supporters celebrated the ruling in the streets. The court gave the Congress two years to legislate the status of same-sex marriages. If the deadline passes with no legislation, then same-sex couples will be able to formalize their unions before a notary public, the court said. "We would've preferred for the court, as guarantor of rights of minorities and in particular guarantor of equality, would have itself extended marriage to same-sex couples," Diana Guzman, a lawyer for an organization involved in the action, told CNN en Español. "Nonetheless, we think this ruling is a step forward." Same-sex marriage initiatives have been brought up in the legislature before, but went nowhere. Guzman said she hopes this time a bill will be taken more seriously. Several Colombian churches had asked the court not to legalize same-sex marriage.

With Repeal Of DADT Law Schools Ending Ban On Military Recruiters

The military policy prohibiting openly gay service personal has long been a source of controversy at law schools, and the end of the policy means that law campuses will become less hostile to military recruiters, The National Law Journal reporting that one of the two law schools with an outright ban on military recruiters — Vermont Law School — announced that it had lifted that prohibition on July 22, the day President Obama certified the policy's repeal. "This law school has stood fast to our position of principle, in the face of significant pressure, to insist that the Don't Ask, Don't Tell law be repealed," said Dean Jeff Shields. "That day is finally here." The other school, William Mitchell College of Law, is moving forward on the assumption that administrators will soon end the recruiter ban, said spokesman Steve Linders. "Our position is not anti-military," Linders said. "It is pro-opportunity — we want all of our students who wish to do so to have the opportunity to serve their country. Now that Congress has voted to repeal Don't Ask, Don't Tell and President Obama has signed the certification to end the ban, all will have the opportunity to serve, regardless of sexual orientation, and William Mitchell will once again allow military recruiters on campus." Both William Mitchell and Vermont have been ineligible to receive certain types of federal money for more than a decade as a result of their decision to ban military recruiters. The Association of American Law Schools has formed a committee to examine changes to its policy requiring member schools to take certain steps when military recruiters appear on campus, including scheduling interviews in less-visible locations and putting up signs warning students that the military discriminated against gays and lesbians. The organization took that stance because Don't Ask, Don't Tell was seen as violating the AALS's non-discrimination policy. "We will be issuing guidance for our member schools on placement, non-discrimination, amelioration and the like," said AALS President Michael Olivas. "[The repeal] is a major, helpful change for our membership review process."

Wilmington North Carolina Have Yet To Make Any Arrests In June 25 Bias-Motivated Attack On 21 Year Old Michael Nelmark

The Wilmington, North Carolina Police Department has made no arrests in the June 25 assault of Michael Nelmark, the 21 year old gay UNCW student who was beaten downtown by a group of men who used a gay slur against him, according to The Star News. Nelmark lost consciousness for 20 minutes after the attack and needed eight staples to close a head wound. He and others criticized police officers first to the scene for turning loose the men they said were responsible. Now, his mother Anne Nelmark worries her son's attackers will not face justice. "The odds of them getting anybody are slim to none," she said. "It's unfortunate. I really think they just want to sweep it under the carpet." She thinks the police officers did not take her son's attack seriously, possibly because he is gay. It has now been more than four weeks since Michael was attacked, and the trail seems cold. The investigation is still open, said Lucy Crockett, a police spokeswoman. She referred to the crowd that gathered at the scene of the assault at Front and Princess Streets that night. "I think it was complicated by the fact there were a lot of people around," she said. Anne Nelmark said she was told that some of the officers involved were reprimanded, but Crockett would not confirm that. "I wouldn't tell you the outcome of any disciplinary review," she said. Anne Nelmark says she never used to worry about sending Michael back to school, but that changed after he came home to Fayetteville in June, his face swollen and bruised. "Now I'm scared," she said.