GAYS CONTENT WITH NEW ALBANIAN RIGHTS LAW
Albania’s new anti-discrimination law defends gays and minorities and meets European standards, its sponsors said on Friday, but warned that homophobia is rife and winning over the public will be slow.
Albanian rights groups and the Alliance against the Discrimination of the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) welcomed the law as a powerful legal tool to protect against any kind of discrimination.
Source – The Straits Times
YOUTH WHO IDENTIFY AS GAY, LESBIAN OR BI ARE AT HIGHER SUICIDE RISK
“This is the first study that has separated sexual identity from sexual attractions and behaviours in looking at risk for poor mental health outcomes,” said corresponding author Dr. Brett Thombs, of the Lady Davis Institute for Medical Research (LDI) at the Jewish General Hospital.
“The main message is that it’s the interface between individuals and society that causes students who identify as gay, lesbian, or bisexual the most distress,” said study first author Yue Zhao, a McGill University graduate student working with Dr. Thombs.. “Sexual orientation has three different components. The first is identity, which is dependent on the society in which one lives; the second is attraction or fantasy; and the third is behaviour. Previous studies have not addressed which of those components may explain why GLB youth are at risk.”
Source – Science Daily
NEW COMPROMISE ON GAY RIGHTS IN SALT LAKE
Anti-discrimination ordinances adopted by Salt Lake City and Salt Lake County are safe — at least for 2010.
But lawmakers won’t be diving into a yearlong study of whether to expand such protections in housing and employment statewide to gay and transgender Utahns in 2011.
On Friday, Senate President Michael Waddoups, R-Taylorsville, and Rep. Christine Johnson, D-Salt Lake City, announced a compromise on the compromise Johnson unveiled a week ago with Sen. Howard Stephenson, R-Draper.
Democrats are dropping their pro-gay-rights bills (including adoptions for unmarried couples and extending anti-discrimination protections statewide), and Republicans are standing down on anti-gay-rights bills (ones that would kill existing anti-discrimination statutes or stop other cities and counties from passing their own).
Source – The Salt Lake City Tribune
ROSIE O’DONNELL ON GOOD MORNING AMERICA
TRYING TO EXPLAIN HOMOSEXUALITY THROUGH “KIN SELECTION HYPOTHESIS”
Male homosexuality doesn’t make complete sense from an evolutionary point of view. It appears that the trait is heritable, but because homosexual men are much less likely to produce offspring than heterosexual men, shouldn’t the genes for this trait have been extinguished long ago? What value could this sexual orientation have, that it has persisted for eons even without any discernible reproductive advantage?
One possible explanation is what evolutionary psychologists call the “kin selection hypothesis.” What that means is that homosexuality may convey an indirect benefit by enhancing the survival prospects of close relatives. Specifically, the theory holds that homosexual men might enhance their own genetic prospects by being “helpers in the nest.” By acting altruistically toward nieces and nephews, homosexual men would perpetuate the family genes, including some of their own.
Source – The Medical News
MILITARY TIMES SURVEYS TROOPS ON DADT
Opposition to gays serving openly in the military has declined sharply among those wearing the uniform today, the Military Times newspapers will report Monday.
An exclusive survey of some 3,000 active-duty troops shows such opposition has fallen sharply from nearly two-thirds (65 percent) in 2004 to about half (51 percent) today. The survey results appear Monday in Army Times, Air Force Times, Navy Times and Marine Corps Times.
Results of the survey were released after Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told Congress it is time to end the law banning open service by gays and the military’s “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy that derives from the law.
Source - Army Times
VODAPHONE MAKES HOMOPHOBIC TWITTER COMMENT
A small twitter backlash erupted Friday afternoon, as a tweet from the official Vodafone UK twitter site said “is fed up of dirty homo’s and is going after beaver”.
The comment was quickly removed but not before being retweeted on the micro blogging site, with several users questioning whether Vodafone’s twitter account had been hacked.
Source – PinkPaper.com
ONE MILLION MOMS UPSET WITH ARMANI ADVERTISMENTS
A decency group has targeted Armani clothing outlet Armani Exchange, claiming that the fashion company’s advertising is “appalling” due to what the group says are depictions of “threesomes” and “same s*x couples [sic]” in Armani’s romantically themed Valentine’s Day advertising.
“This is not okay!” declares text at the Web site for One Million Moms, which text under the site’s logo says is “A project of the American Family Association,” and anti-gay religious organization.
Source – EDGE
JOHN CARROLL UNIVERSITY LGBT STUDENTS PROTEST NON-DISCRIMINATION POLICY
Video Report From FOX8 – TV - Cleveland
OPENLY GAY SON OF TORONTO MAPLE LEAFS GM DIES IN CAR ACCIDENT
Maple Leafs general manager Brian Burke’s youngest son was killed in a car accident in snowy Indiana on Friday.
The team issued a brief statement confirming the death of 21-year-old Brendan Burke. Brian Burke also is the general manager of the U.S. Olympic team.
“The National Hockey League grieves tonight for the family and friends of Brendan Burke, a young man of courage and character,” NHL commissioner Gary Bettman said in a release. “Words simply cannot express our sorrow over his loss. We send our deepest, most heartfelt condolences to Brendan’s father, Brian; his mother, Kerry; everyone in Brendan’s family and all who were inspired by his love for hockey.”
Source – ESPN – ESPN profiled Brendan and Brian Burke this past December
FLORIDA FAMILY POLICY COUNCIL USES FRADULENT PHOTO TO PUSH ITS AGENDA
“Arrogant judicial activism” was how the finger-waggers at Orlando’s Florida Family Policy Council described the ruling in an alert it sent out to its members last week.
And to make their point about just how frightening this ruling was, the Policy Council included a photograph of the couple — a strange and androgynous-looking duo, one with bleached skin and both with mullet haircuts. The couple look so odd (you literally can’t tell whether they are male or female) that one might wonder how any judge could place a young child with such a disturbing-looking duo.
Source – Orlando Sentinel
CALL YOUR SENATORS THURSDAY FEBRUARY 11 TO REPEAL DADT
All of us need to act if we are to ensure that anti-gay policies are not made by the likes of James Dobson, Tony Perkins, Elaine Donnelly, and other haters like them. They care nothing about military readiness – they simply seek to keep LGBT Americans second class citizens because we do not subscribe to their narrow minded religious beliefs.
Capitol Hill Switchboard: (202) 224-3121 – CONTACT LIST AVAILABLE HERE
Source – Michael In Norfolk
