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Let My Partner Stay
Because same-sex marriages are not recognized in the United States, certain marital benefits, like the advantage of permanent residency for a foreign born partner, are denied to bi-national spouses. This commonly results in the foreign partner being forced to leave the United States, and their loved ones, behind. Brittany and Joanna's story is one of thousands. Because same-sex marriages are not recognized in the United States, certain marital benefits, like the advantage of permanent residenc... more
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Intiative to ban gay marriage qualifies for Calfornia ballot
1,120,801 homophobic citizens of California would like to write discrimination into the California state constitution. Their signatures successfully petitioned for a ballot measure in November's election that would limit marriage "to one man and one woman." If successful the California supreme our decision last month that legalized marriage equality, would be obsolete. Weather marriages performed between June 17th and the November election would remain legal would have to be decided by the courts.
Protect marriage https://www.protectmarriage.com is the home of the homophobic organization that funded the petition drive. Protect marriage claims it is a Christian organization with close ties to Focus on the Family, long time rivals of LGBT rights and ridiculously full of lies. Here is an example http://90percenttrue.com/2004/12/lies-damn-lies-and-sta...
If you feel like expressing your views about homophobia. Protect marriage can be reached info@protectmarriage.com or by phone at (916) 446-5031.
If you want to support marriage equality in California, consider a donation to Equality for All http://www.equalityforall.com/ or the Human Rights Campaign www.hrc.org or Lambda Legal http://www.lambdalegal.org/
And of course, if you live in California please vote to oppose the proposition. 1,120,801 homophobic citizens of California would like to write discrimination into the California state constitution. Their signatur... more -
Federal court rules against military gays policy
The military cannot automatically discharge people because they're gay, a federal appeals court ruled Wednesday in the case of a decorated flight nurse who sued the Air Force over her dismissal.
The "don't ask, don't tell, don't pursue, don't harass" policy prohibits the military from asking about the sexual orientation of service members but requires discharge of those who acknowledge being gay or engaging in homosexual activity.
Wednesday's ruling led opponents of the policy to declare its days numbered. It is also the first appeals court ruling in the country that evaluated the policy through the lens of a 2003 Supreme Court decision that struck down a Texas ban on sodomy as an unconstitutional intrusion on privacy.
When gay service members have sued over their dismissals, courts historically have accepted the military's argument that having gays in the service is generally bad for morale and can lead to sexual tension.
But the Supreme Court's opinion in the Texas case changed the legal landscape, the judges said, and requires more scrutiny over whether "don't ask, don't tell" is constitutional as applied in individual cases.
Under Wednesday's ruling, military officials "need to prove that having this particular gay person in the unit really hurts morale, and the only way to improve morale is to discharge this person," said Aaron Caplan, a staff attorney with the American Civil Liberties Union of Washington state who worked on the case. The military cannot automatically discharge people because they're gay, a federal appeals court ruled Wednesday in the case of a decor... more -
South Carolina high school principal resigns over formation of gay club
A South Carolina high school principal said he'll resign from his post after the district approved an organization for gay students that he said conflicts with his religious beliefs.
Eddie Walker, the principal of Irmo High School in Columbia, S.C., announced his intention to step down to faculty and students on Wednesday, saying he'll end his tenure following the 2008-09 school year. The decision, outlined in a letter to Lexington-Richland School District 5 officials, said the reason was the formation of a Gay-Straight Alliance Club for students.
Walker said the club — which he said would be the first based on sexual orientation, preference or activity at the school — conflicts his "professional beliefs and religious convictions" as well as the school's abstinence-only education and may prompt students to have sex.
"I feel the formation of a Gay/Straight Alliance Club at Irmo High school implies that students joining the club will have chosen to or will choose to engage in sexual activity with members of the same sex, opposite sex, or members of both sexes," he wrote.
Walker added he prayed about the issue before stepping down and asked board members to "respect my choice as I respect your choice to disagree with me on this issue."
Gay-rights group Faith in America said Walker's decision is based on prejudice that is harmful to students and likened his decision to policies that once allowed segregation to flourish.
"We truly believe it is unfortunate that this principal cannot see the immense harm that is caused when a social climate of rejection, condemnation and violence is justified with misguided religious belief," said Brent Childers, executive director of the group.
One Irmo High School student, saddened by Walker's decision, said the principal was leaving for the wrong reasons.
"The reason he's leaving is not a good reason," Brion Hayes told FOX affiliate WACH-TV. "He does a good job; he cares about the students that go to his school." A South Carolina high school principal said he'll resign from his post after the district approved an organization for gay students th... more -
Gay Rights Hospital Rating System Launched
The Healthcare Eqaulity Index (HEI) was released by the Human Rights Campaign and the Gay and Lesbian Medical Association. The HEI has was created to help gay, lesbian and transgender citizens navigate through the often complicated and daunting medical field to find hospitals and doctors that will respect their rights and their humanity.
HRC hopes hospitals will strive to improve their annual rating, much like the way corporations responded to the Corporate Equality Index.
Response to the survey was voluntary. 88 hospitals responded nationwide. Only half the respondents received top marks.
The HEI focuses on five main policy criteria: patient non-discrimination, hospital visitation, decision making, cultural competency training and employment policies.
To review the HEI visit http://www.hrc.org/issues/hei.asp
The Healthcare Eqaulity Index (HEI) was released by the Human Rights Campaign and the Gay and Lesbian Medical Association. The HEI has... more -
Court: No benefits for gay partners
The Michigan Supreme Court ruled, "public employers are barred from providing health care benefits to the partners of gay and lesbian employees."
The court ruling was based on an amendment approved by voters in 2004 banning same sex marriage. The 5-2 decision claimed the amendment also applied to employee benefits. At issue are the words "for any purpose" in the amendment. One can only wonder what other purposes the court can claim fall under the ban. Perhaps medical care? Hospital visitation rights? Inheritance rights? Adoption rights?
"Patrick Gillen, a professor at Ave Maria Law School ( http://www.avemarialaw.edu/ )and a coauthor of the amendment, said the court was correct to understand that same-sex benefit policies are an attempt to have "same-sex partners treated as spouses ... to redefine marriage and the family in a very radical way.
Patrick Gillan can be reached at ptgillen@avemarialaw.edu or 734.827.8042
The Michigan Supreme Court ruled, "public employers are barred from providing health care benefits to the partners of gay and lesbian ... more -
Attack on gay rights protest in St. Petersburg
"Two members of an unsanctioned gay rights protest action were attacked in St. Petersburg, according to a May 3, 2008 report by the Rosbalt news agency. The attack took place after the rally when four unknown people came up from behind their victims and struck them on the heads with blunt objects. The victims reported the attack to police and then sought medical treatment. Larger gay rights rallies have been brutally suppressed in recent years by police and far-right nationalists in Moscow." "Two members of an unsanctioned gay rights protest action were attacked in St. Petersburg, according to a May 3, 2008 report by the Ro... more
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TV for Gays, Lesbians & their Straight Friends!!
Gayborhood.tv is a new video site for Gays/Lesbians/Bisexuals/Transgenders & their straight friends with four original produced shows highlighting real people in the community and allows users to upload their own videos. Watch FULL EPISODES at www.GAYBORHOOD.tv Gayborhood.tv is a new video site for Gays/Lesbians/Bisexuals/Transgenders & their straight friends with four original produced sh... more
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Gay Pride Banned in Moscow
Moscow's mayer prevented it's LGBT citizens from celebrating Pride with a parade this year claiming the parade would cause widespread violence. "Mayor Yury Luzhkov has been an opponent of gay pride marches, once calling them "Satan's work." A spokesperson for the mayor told reporters that a permit for the parade is being denied because of Russian society's opposition to the "gay lifestyle and philosophy."
Moscow's Gay and Lesbian community celebrated the decriminalization of homosexuality in May of 2007 with a parade. There were several incidences involving "ultra nationalists" or more accurately neo-Nazis attacking gays.
Pictured here a group of demonstrators protest the 2007 Gay Pride Parade. Moscow's mayer prevented it's LGBT citizens from celebrating Pride with a parade this year claiming the parade would cause widespread ... more
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Pride 2008
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Pride 2008
