GAY MARRIAGE MORE DESTRUCTIVE THAN SMOKING
The Iowa Family Policy Center, a group that opposes equal marriage rights for same-sex couples, released a statement today comparing smoking-related health costs to gay unions.
“The Iowa Legislature outlawed smoking in an effort to improve health and reduce the medical costs that are often passed on to the state,” said Chuck Hurley, president of the group. “The secondhand impacts of certain homosexual acts are arguably more destructive, and potentially more costly to society than smoking.”
He continued: “Homosexual activity is certainly more dangerous for the individuals who engage in it than is smoking.”
Hurley pointed to a report by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control that showed gay men have higher rates of HIV and syphilis.
“Because of their (legislators) unwillingness to correct the error of last April’s Iowa Supreme Court opinion, the Iowa Legislature is responsible for sanctioning activities that will lead to dramatically higher rates of HIV and syphilis in Iowa,” Hurley said
The latest information about HIV is more evidence that additional resources are needed for prevention and tests, said Jordan Selha, executive director of the AIDS Project of Central Iowa. Most new transmissions are by people who are unaware of their HIV status, he said. – Source – Des Moines Register
GLAAD AWARDS HONOR ABC-TV’s “BROTHERS & SISTERS” AND OTHERS
Gay media group GLAAD honored the TV series “Brothers & Sisters” and singled-out actress Cynthia Nixon for her work at a Saturday night gala highlighting gay marriage rights.
“We are bringing marriage back to its fundamentals and revitalizing it from its roots up,” “Sex and the City” actress Nixon said in accepting an honorary award at the 21st annual Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation Media Awards.
ABC drama series “Brothers & Sisters” won the outstanding drama series award for their storyline of a gay married couple looking to start a family.
Actress Sigourney Weaver accepted the award for outstanding TV miniseries for Lifetime’s “Prayers for Bobby.” In the program, based on a true story, Weaver played a 1970s religious housewife who struggles to accept her son is gay.
“The Oprah Winfrey Show” won the best talk show episode category for the episode “Ellen DeGeneres and Her Wife, Portia de Rossi.”
Spanish-British film “Little Ashes” won for outstanding film in limited release, while among other winners for their coverage of gay and lesbian issues included MSNBC’s “The Rachel Maddow Show,” NBC, The New York Times, CNN and ESPN.com.
Joy Behar, a co-host of ABC’s “The View,” received the excellence in media award for bringing up gay rights on the popular daytime talk show. – Source – Reuters
