Focus On The Rainbow

HEARING SET IN LESBIAN TEENS SUIT OVER MS HIGH SCHOOL PROM

School officials in a rural Mississippi county told a lesbian student to get “guys” to take her and her girlfriend to a high school prom and warned the girls against slow dancing with each other because that could “push people’s buttons,” according to documents filed Tuesday in federal court.

In the court documents, McMillen said Rick Mitchell, the assistant principal at the school, told her she could not attend the prom with her girlfriend but they could go with “guys.” Superintendent Teresa McNeece told the teen that the girls should attend the prom separately, had to wear dresses and couldn’t slow dance with each other because that could “push people’s buttons,” according to court documents.

The school district last week said it wouldn’t host the prom “due to the distractions to the educational process caused by recent events.” District officials said they hoped private citizens would sponsor a dance. The decision came on the same day the ACLU asked the district to act on McMillen’s prom requests.

McMillen said she approached school officials weeks ago about wanting to take her girlfriend to the prom.

“I want my prom experience to be the same as all of the other students, a night to remember with the person I’m dating,” McMillen said.

The district, located in northern Mississippi near the Alabama state line, prohibits same-sex dates at the prom. The ACLU has said that violates the rights of gay and lesbian students.

The school district had not responded to the ACLU filing by Tuesday afternoon. – Source – AP

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DISCUSSION BUT NO UPCOMING VOTE ON GAY ADOPTION IN FLORIDA

After years of trying unsuccessfully to get lawmakers to discuss gay adoptions and pass a bill allowing them, Sen. Nan Rich won a victory of sorts on the Senate floor Tuesday afternoon.

Senate President Jeff Atwater allowed Sen. Charlie Justice to offer an amendment to another bill dealing with adoptions — one (SB 530) that would clarify already existing state law barring adoption agencies from discriminating against families that own guns.

Justice’s amendment would bar adoption agencies from refusing to allow gay couples to adopt. But he only offered it long enough for several Democrats, including Rich, to speak in favor of it before he withdrew it without seeking a vote.

Justice, D-St. Petersburg, said he was told that the Republicans, who have a majority in the chamber, would use a procedural maneuver to not have a vote, so he withdrew it because the goal was “for the first time in decades to have this issue discussed on the floor of the Florida Senate.”

More than 3,000 Florida kids are waiting to be adopted and about 25,000 children are now in foster homes. Gay Floridians are welcome to be foster parents but a state law passed more than three decades ago prohibits them from permanently adopting the children. – Source – The Palm Beach Post

HIV INCREASE IN GAY MEN CAN BE ATTRIBUTED TO ANTI-GAY POLICIES BUT WHY IN US

New HIV infections are increasing among homosexuals, drug users and prostitutes who don’t seek help because of laws that criminalize these practices, the head of the U.N. AIDS agency said Monday.

Michel Sidibe, the head of UNAIDS, said “it is unacceptable” that 85 countries still have laws criminalizing same sex relations among adults, including seven that impose the death penalty for homosexual practices.

He called a proposed Ugandan law that would impose the death penalty for some gays “very unfortunate” and expressed hope it will never be approved.

Sidibe told a group of journalists at a luncheon hosted by the United Nations Foundation that in countries from China to Kenya and Malawi, about 33 percent of new HIV infections are in men having sex with men, a significant increase.

By contrast, he said that in the Caribbean where most countries don’t have repressive laws, only between 3 and 6 percent of HIV infections are in male homosexuals.

Even in the United States, where laws are not restrictive and the gay community was the first to tackle AIDS, Sidibe said it is “shocking” that more than 50 percent of new HIV infections last year occurred among homosexuals. And he said in the 19-25 age bracket the infection rate was even higher.

“It seems like we have come full circle” in the United States, he said. “After almost no cases a few years ago we are seeing again this new peak among people who are not having access to all the information, the protection that is needed.” – Source – AP

SAME-SEX MARRIAGE BAN STALLS IN PENNSLYVANIA

A bill to ban same-sex marriage in Pennsylvania stalled Tuesday in the Senate.

The state Senate Judiciary Committee voted 8-6 to table the measure defining marriage as a union between a man and a woman.

State law already defines marriage as a union between a man and a woman.

But proponents of a constitutional amendment said a judge could overturn the law even though the courts are not believed to be considering a challenge to that law. – Source – WGAL-TV

FIRST SAME-SEX MARRIAGE IN MCC CHURCH IN WASHINGTON DC

History happened at the Metropolitan Community Church of Washington, D.C., on Sunday.  Willard Knicely married Robert Whitman in front of more than 100 family members and friends.

When the District legalized same-sex marriage March 3, people lined up for licenses and a few days later ceremonies were performed at a government building. So, same-sex marriages themselves may no longer be breaking news, but where this one happened is noteworthy.

The Rev. Dwayne Johnson, who helped preside over the ceremony, said Metropolitan Community Church has actually been performing same-sex ceremonies since 1971.

“We have believed all along that God has recognized our relationships, but the meaning of this day is what God has recognized all along,” Johnson said. ”And what we’ve recognized all along is now recognized by the District of Columbia.” -Source – NBC Washington DC

MAN WHO WAS SEXUALLY HARRASSED AND FIRED WINS LAWSUIT

A restaurant worker sacked after being discriminated against because of his sexual orientation has been awarded has been awarded nearly $15,000.

The Employment Relations Authority found that the man, whose name was not disclosed, was unfairly dismissed in July 2009 after three just three weeks as front manager at Auckland’s Mission Bay restaurant El Centro.

He was awarded $7000 damages and $7600 for lost wages and holiday pay.

The man said his employer, Graeme Edwards, was difficult to work with and began to make “inappropriate” comments based on his sexual orientation.

Mr Edwards alluded to sexually transmitted disease in front of customers and other employees.

Mr Edwards would often refer to him as a “f***ing faggot” and telling others present “not to bend over” around him.

The applicant described Mr Edwards’ treatment as “humiliating, sexually discriminatory and abusive,” making him feel “insignificant, worthless and isolated”.

He said he was fired on July 25 with Mr Edwards saying he couldn’t manage his way out of a brothel and not to bother coming back. – Source – NZHerald

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LESBIAN COUPLE SPEAKS ABOUT CHILD BARRED FROM SCHOOL

The couple’s two children are not being allowed to continue at the Sacred Heart of Jesus Catholic School because of the parents’ sexual orientation.

They remain unidentified, but released a statement Monday night through Boulder Pride, an organization representing the gay and lesbian community.

They say the school’s decision comes as a shock to them. The couple says they were initially very hurt and angry. According to the couple, their two children have been attending Sacred Heart of Jesus Catholic School for three years.

“There are divorced parents, children of parents born out of wedlock, non-Catholics and non-practicing Catholics. Their eligibility has not been questioned. There seems to be a subjective rating system of which sins are more unacceptable.”

“Perhaps our biggest objection to the school’s decision is that we think that it is wrong to punish a child for who the child’s parents are,” the couple stated. “We do not think this reflects what Jesus would have done.”

The reason they enrolled their children in the school they say was because they themselves were raised in the Catholic faith and went to Catholic schools.

The couple says both of their children have been baptized, and attend church regularly at Sacred Heart.

They now feel their goal of raising their children in the Catholic faith is being undermined by the church.

“We do not believe that homosexuality and organized religion need to be mutually exclusive,” the couple stated.

Source – 9News

DALLAS COUNTRY JAIL GUARD FIRED OVER ANTI-GAY REMARKS

A veteran Dallas County jail guard has been fired for making offensive comments about his religious beliefs to co-workers, including his contention that gays should be “put to death,” sheriff’s reports show.

Stephen Johnson, 59, had been disciplined for making offensive comments in the past, records show. He was fired Jan. 20 for conduct unbecoming an officer and for lying to internal affairs during the investigation.

Johnson has worked as a jail guard at the Sheriff’s Department for almost 17 years. He was most recently assigned to the intake area, where arriving inmates are processed.

In October, he interrupted a private conversation among jail staff and “interjected his own opinions,” telling them all gays should be annihilated, sheriff’s reports show. He also said that whites were the superior race and that he supported slavery, reports show.

Johnson said the Bible supported his opinions, reports show. – Source – Dallas Morning News

….. a new bill that increases tax incentives to lure television and movie production to Florida would deny those tax breaks to films that feature gay characters.

Current laws prevent tax breaks for films that feature smoking, sex, nudity, or profane language. The proposed changes make Florida guidelines seem even more like the Hays Code that censored Hollywood from the the ’30s to the ’60s. Thankfully, Precourt hasn’t borrowed more ideas from that censorship office and written in language that would also disallow interracial relationships, suggestive dancing, and “lustful kisses.”

Besides not offering tax breaks to films that “exhibit or implied act” of nontraditional family values, films with gratuitous violence would also be left out.

In recent years, Florida has slipped from third in the country in terms of film production, only behind California and New York, to out of the top ten. Other states have aggressively offered more generous tax credits.

The bill, which also has a companion bill in the Senate, still has to go through various committees before it reaches the House floor. – Source – Miami New Times

Come make your movies here in Connecticut, heck you can get married at the same time.

The latest exhibit being put together in the art gallery in Central Connecticut State University’s Maloney Hall is groundbreaking in more ways than one.

“This is the first time we’ve had a real Andy Warhol at CCSU, a real Mapplethorpe at CCSU, and there’s some pictures on display that have never been seen in Connecticut before,” said Robert Diamond, the exhibit’s curator.

The exhibit is called “Revealed: The Tradition of Male Homoerotic Art,” and according to Diamond it’s also one of the first exhibits to focus exclusively on male homoerotic art rather than cover the entirety of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender spectrum.

The exhibit covers 110 years’ worth of original artwork, and also includes reproductions of older pieces by Michelangelo (“The Rape of Ganymede”) and John Singer Sargent (a few male nude drawings).

The majority of images show the nude male body, some in classical poses and others more explicit. However, artworks such as Michelangelo’s “David” show handsome nude men, yet are generally not considered erotic or homoerotic. Diamond said the poses shown in the pieces make the difference between simple nudity and eroticism.

The exhibit will be on display at CCSU through April 22; afterward it’s scheduled to go to a gallery in New York.

It will be closed except by appointment the week of March 22 to 26 for spring break. Regular gallery hours are Monday through Friday, 1 to 4 p.m. and by appointment. Admission is free.

The opening reception will be Thursday from 4:30 to 8:30 p.m., with a lecture at 3 p.m.

From an article written by Jennifer Abel at The Bristol Press. More information here from CCSU.

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