When Ann Coulter Says Awful Things About Gays + Muslims, She's Just Kidding

Health Care Hypocrites

Individual Mandate, Now Vilified By GOP, Was Supported By George H.W. Bush

Though Republican lawmakers now vilify the individual mandate for health insurance coverage as unconstitutional, the provision has long roots in conservative health care philosophy and has been supported by such GOP presidents as Richard Nixon and George H.W. Bush.

Republican administrations were among the first to embrace the concept of forcing individuals to buy coverage. Nixon -- hoping to stave off the single-payer ethos of many congressional Democrats -- explored the idea in the 1970s, though Republicans now dismiss those discussions as the byproduct of a moderate president searching for a domestic policy victory.

Less than two decades later, in what remains an unexplored chapter of health care history, a surprising supporter of the individual mandate was George H.W. Bush. According to contemporaneous reporting, Bush used "the tax system to 'encourage and empower' individuals to buy health insurance and would enact insurance market reforms that make it possible for everyone -- even if they have pre-existing health problems -- to get insurance." In short: individuals would be mandated to buy catastrophic health insurance. The cost of that coverage would be tied to income, meaning that the poorer you were, the less expensive your policy would be.


Ob'omneycare! The Ultimate Mitt Romney 'Obamacare'-vs.-'Romneycare' Double-Talk Train Wreck

What's more enjoyable than watching Mitt Romney attempt to bend, twist and wiggle his way through a contradictory political position? Not much.

Perhaps the biggest challenge facing Romney, the former governor of Massachusetts and 2008 Republican presidential candidate, as he prepares for what will likely be another presidential run in 2012 is that of distinguishing "Obamacare" -- the health care reform recently signed into law by President Obama and the bête noire of Republicans everywhere (which Romney must by necessity oppose with all the Tea Party-ish zeal he can muster) -- from "Romneycare." After all, the latter health care reform signed into law by Romney as Massachusetts governor in 2006 (which he must by necessity defend, since it's his primary legacy as governor) is strikingly similar to Obama's plan.

The headlines have been popping up with increasing frequency since Obama signed health care reform into law last week: "Mitt Romney's Health-Care Dilemma", "Romney leads charge against Obama health plan, although it looks a lot like his own in Mass.", "Pre-existing condition vexes Mitt Romney". Perhaps Matt Yglesias sums it up best: "Mitt Romney was for health care before he was against it. And in 2012, he's headed for a double-talking disaster that would make John Kerry cringe."

Honda Has 10x More Orders for CR-Z Hybrids Than Expected

But the Fuel Economy of the CR-Z is Still Disappointing

The people at Honda now have another reason to celebrate. The first one was Toyota's problems, which drove a lot of car buyers into the open arms of its smaller rival, and the second reason has to do with the numbers of orders for the new CR-Z hybrid in Japan; after a month, orders exceeded 10,000, or about 10x more than the monthly target of 1,000. In just a month it has almost reached its yearly domestic goal of 12,000 units.

Boxer Introduces Domestic-Partner COBRA Bill

U.S. senator Barbara Boxer of California introduced a bill this week that would require employers to provide the same health insurance coverage to both domestic partners and spouses of those who lose their jobs.

Currently, federal law does not require companies to offer COBRA coverage to the domestic partners of departing employees, even if the corporations provide domestic-partner benefits. Meanwhile, the federal government requires that married spouses be offered the COBRA coverage.

Boxer's law would require all companies that offer domestic-partner benefits to offer the COBRA coverage to the unmarried partners.

"This is a question of fairness," Boxer said in a statement. "Every family deserves access to health insurance, especially in this tough economy. This bill ensures that domestic partners and their families will have equal access to health coverage after a job loss.”

Rep. Tammy Baldwin: Votes are There for ENDA, DADT Passage

In an interview published in the San Diego Gay & Lesbian News, Rep. Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) said that she believes the votes are there for passage of the Employment Non-Discrimination Act and DADT repeal:

"Baldwin does believe the votes are in place in the House to pass ENDA and a DADT repeal bill. 'As someone who has actually counted the votes, I believe that there are,' Baldwin said. 'That’s one of the things the LGBT Equality Caucus does is to [focus] attention to making sure we can tell [House] leadership, with accuracy, what the vote would be if they bring the measures up to the floor.' The Congressional LGBT Equality Caucus is a group of legislators in the House who are strong supporters of equal rights for LGBT people. The caucus is organized similarly to the Congressional Black Caucus and the Congressional Hispanic Caucus. Baldwin and Rep. Barney Frank established the LGBT Equality Caucus in June 2008. It now includes nearly 90 members of Congress. President Barack Obama has recently met with both the Congressional Black and Congressional Hispanic caucuses, but not yet with the LGBT one. Baldwin says this is because 'we haven’t put a spotlight on it of late.' She said the group 'probably' would press for a meeting with the president in the future. Pressure has grown dramatically in recent days for a spotlight on LGBT-related issues in Congress."

Ricky Martin: 'I am Proud to Say I am a Fortunate Homosexual Man'

Ricky Martin has come out of the closet in a statement on his official website:
A few months ago I decided to write my memoirs, a project I knew was going to bring me closer to an amazing turning point in my life. From the moment I wrote the first phrase I was sure the book was the tool that was going to help me free myself from things I was carrying within me for a long time. Things that were too heavy for me to keep inside. Writing this account of my life, I got very close to my truth. And thisis something worth celebrating.

For many years, there has been only one place where I am in touch with my emotions fearlessly and that's the stage. Being on stage fills my soul in many ways, almost completely. It's my vice. The music, the lights and the roar of the audience are elements that make me feel capable of anything. This rush of adrenaline is incredibly addictive. I don't ever want to stop feeling these emotions. But it is serenity that brings me to where I'm at right now. An amazing emotional place of comprehension, reflection and enlightenment. At this moment I'm feeling the same freedom I usually feel only on stage, without a doubt, I need to share.

Many people told me: "Ricky it's not important", "it's not worth it", "all the years you've worked and everything you've built will collapse", "many people in the world are not ready to accept your truth, your reality, your nature". Because all this advice came from people who I love dearly, I decided to move on with my life not sharing with the world my entire truth. Allowing myself to be seduced by fear and insecurity became a self-fulfilling prophecy of sabotage. Today I take full responsibility for my decisions and my actions.

If someone asked me today, "Ricky, what are you afraid of?" I would answer "the blood that runs through the streets of countries at war...child slavery, terrorism...the cynicism of some people in positions of power, the misinterpretation of faith." But fear of my truth? Not at all! On the contrary, It fills me with strength and courage. This is just what I need especially now that I am the father of two beautiful boys that are so full of light and who with their outlook teach me new things every day. To keep living as I did up until today would be to indirectly diminish the glow that my kids where born with. Enough is enough. This has to change. This was not supposed to happen 5 or 10 years ago, it is supposed to happen now. Today is my day, this is my time, and this is my moment.

These years in silence and reflection made me stronger and reminded me that acceptance has to come from withinand that this kind of truth gives me the power to conquer emotions I didn't even know existed.

What will happen from now on? It doesn't matter. I can only focus on what's happening to me in this moment. The word "happiness" takes on a new meaning for me as of today. It has been a very intense process. Every word that I write in this letter is born out of love, acceptance, detachment and real contentment. Writing this is a solid step towards my inner peace and vital part of my evolution.

I am proud to say that I am a fortunate homosexual man. I am very blessed to be who I am.

British Military Hosts Gay Wedding Reception In Barracks

"This weekend a British soldier followed his gay partnership ceremony with a reception in his regiment's barracks.

One groom wore ceremonial uniform with his Iraq medal, the other morning dress with an orchid.

Surrounded by silverware and paintings commemorating great battles, Lance Corporal James Wharton, 23, and his new husband enjoyed their first dance to Tina Turner in the warrant officers' mess of the most prestigious regiment in the land. The Household Cavalry, famed for escorting the Queen during state occasions and the fact that it counts both her grandsons among its officers, celebrated its first gay wedding in style. L/Cpl Wharton was joined in a civil partnership with his boyfriend, the Virgin air steward Thom McCaffrey, 21, surrounded by members of L/Cpl Wharton's regiment, the Blues and Royals. "

Gay Activists Rally for Pope's Resignation

Peter Tatchell, the head of the U.K.-based gay advocacy group OutRage!, was one of about 50 protesters on Sunday calling for Pope Benedict XVI's resignation outside London's Westminster Cathedral.

The protest was held in response to accusations that Benedict, during the years he served as a cardinal, did not take action against numerous reports of priests molesting children.

Participants in Sunday's protest, including gay and women's rights activists, blasted Benedict, calling him a "protector of pedophile priests" and "an accomplice to sex crimes." They not only demanded the Pope step down, but that he be prosecuted for allowing child abuse.

According to a press release from Tatchell, the protesters were met "with a mixture of jeers and support from Catholic congregants leaving the Cathedral after Palm Sunday mass." Tatchell also wants the papal visit to Britain, scheduled for sometime this year, canceled.

"Yes, Dick Cheney has a bit of a secrecy fetish, but did you also know he's personally unpleasant?"

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Virginia governor says no need for LGBT protections

Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell said Thursday he doesn’t see a need for protections against discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation.

During a regular appearance on WRVA, McDonnell said, “I don’t know that we need it based on the numbers that I’ve seen,” when asked if he would sign a bill with LGBT protections.


“There really isn’t any rampant discrimination on any basis in Virginia,” he said. “If you’re going to have a law, it needs to actually address a real problem.”

McDonnell issued an executive directive banning workplace discrimination, but the directive is not law. Nevertheless, McDonnell said it must be obeyed because discrimination is prohibited in the U.S. and Virginia Constitutions.

$249 A Minute

What should an aspiring candidate for governor do if she has never run a campaign before and wants to nearly double her lead in polls as her party's primary election approaches?Here is Meg Whitman's answer: Spend $358,439 a day, $14,935 an hour, $249 a minute.

The billionaire former EBay chief has distributed $27.2 million -- almost all of it her own money -- to hundreds of businesses and people in the 76 days between Jan. 1 and March 17, a campaign statement filed with the state Monday shows.

In approximately that time, she built a soaring lead over fellow Republican Steve Poizner and a narrow one over Democrat Jerry Brown in a poll released last week.

Most of the money, nearly $21 million, bought airtime and production of radio ads that Whitman began airing last fall and the television ad campaign she launched in February.

Jesse Helms Estate Tries to Recast Late Senator as Gay Rights Hero

From the You've Got to be Kidding Department:

Now that the HIV Travel and Immigration Ban has been lifted, those in charge of the late Senator Jesse Helms' estate and reputation are trying to cast him as a gay rights hero:

"Efforts to lift the ban were blocked by a 1993 Congressional amendment introduced by Senator Jesse Helms, Republican of North Carolina. Those who fought the law say Mr. Helms, who died in 2008, perpetuated decades of discrimination. But just as the ban has disappeared, the curators of Mr. Helms’s legacy are trying to touch up the relevant history. Some want him seen as a savior to those with AIDS and a defender of gay rights. Despite Mr. Helms’s storied opposition to 'a homosexual lifestyle,' the Jesse Helms Center in Wingate, N.C., is challenging the idea that he was a “homophobe” or obstructive in the AIDS fight. According to the center’s Web site, 'It was Senator Helms who worked most tirelessly to protect the very principles of freedom that homosexuals are denied in many other nations.' John Dodd, president of the Jesse Helms Center Foundation, recently disputed an editorial in the British newspaper The Guardian that vilified Mr. Helms for his role in the ban. Mr. Dodd argued that 'two million Africans were alive' because of the senator’s work fighting H.I.V."

In fact, Helms fought tooth and nail against U.S. Government aid for AIDS funding and research and said the disease resulted from "unnatural" and "disgusting" human behavior.

New Glee Promo

Gates Announces New DADT Regulations

Secretary of Defense Robert Gates announced new enforcement regulations Thursday for the military’s “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy, part of an interim plan while the Pentagon completes a full review.

The new guidelines are intended to enforce the existing policy in a fairer way. Changes announced by Secretary Gates will raise the rank of a person who can initiate a DADT inquiry to a general or admiral, and elevate standards for evidence to be presented in discharge cases, according to reports in The New York Times and Reuters. The changes also aim to lessen the number of expulsions based on “third party” outings.

“Officials said the new steps would include a requirement that only a general or admiral could initiate action in cases where service members were suspected of violating the prohibition against openly gay service in the armed forces,” reported the Times.

A complete Pentagon review of how the military might implement a repeal of "don't ask, don't tell" is expected to be completed by December 1.

In a letter to Gates last July, Servicemembers Legal Defense Network executive director Aubrey Sarvis laid out a set of recommendations for what would/wouldn’t meet the standard for triggering an investigation into someone’s sexuality.

They included that the third party must be another service member, not a civilian, and not anonymous. They also suggested that evidence must be based on firsthand knowledge rather than hearsay, that any sexual misconduct occurring prior to a soldier’s service not be deemed admissible, and that statements made to chaplains, doctors, psychologists, and other health professionals be kept off limits.

The letter also recommends that the Pentagon adopt as policy the ruling of the ninth circuit court of appeals in Maj. Margaret Witt’s case (Witt v. Department of Air Force), which stipulated that the government must prove that a service member’s presence disrupts unit cohesion and good order rather than the service member having to prove that his or her presence is not disruptive.

Pope failed to defrock U.S. sex abuse priest

Vatican halted trial after cleric’s plea for leniency to future pontiff

Top Vatican officials — including the future Pope Benedict XVI — did not defrock a priest who molested as many as 200 deaf boys, even though several American bishops repeatedly warned them that failure to act on the matter could embarrass the church, according to church files newly unearthed as part of a lawsuit.

The internal correspondence from bishops in Wisconsin directly to Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, the future pope, shows that while church officials tussled over whether the priest should be dismissed, their highest priority was protecting the church from scandal.

The documents emerge as Pope Benedict is facing other accusations that he and direct subordinates often did not alert civilian authorities or discipline priests involved in sexual abuse when he served as an archbishop in Germany and as the Vatican’s chief doctrinal enforcer.

Antigay D.C. Marriage Senate Amendment Defeated

Senator Bennett's health care bill amendment that sought to strip D.C. of marriage equality was defeated in a largely party-line vote.

In the early-morning hours of March 25, an amendment to the health care reconciliation bill proposed by Sen. Robert Bennett of Utah that would have stripped the District of Columbia of its recently enacted marriage equality law and forced a referendum was defeated by a vote of 59–36.

Only two Republican senators, Olympia Snowe and Susan Collins, both of Maine, crossed party lines to vote against the amendment (a vote to keep D.C.’s marriage equality law intact). Two independent senators, Bernie Sanders of Vermont and Joseph Lieberman of Connecticut, also voted no. All Democratic senators present voted no.

Jon Stewart's Best Tea Bagger Moments

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Ann Coulter CANCELS Ottawa Talk

A protest by hundreds of students led organizers to cancel a Tuesday night speech by American conservative commentator Ann Coulter at the University of Ottawa.

A spokesman for the organizers said Coulter was advised against appearing after about 2,000 "threatening" students crowded the entrance to Marion Hall, posing a security threat.

"It would be physically dangerous for Ann Coulter to proceed with this event," said conservative political activist Ezra Levant inside the hall. "This is an embarrassing day for the University of Ottawa and their student body . . . who chose to silence her through threats and intimidation."

A protest organizer, international studies student Mike Fancie, said he was pleased they were able to stop Coulter from speaking.

"What Ann Coulter is practicing is not free speech, it's hate speech," he said. "She's targeted the Jews, she's targeted the Muslims, she's targeted Canadians, homosexuals, women, almost everybody you could imagine."

The announcement of the cancellation was greeted with shouts of "Shame" and "We want Ann" from about 100 people inside the hall. Outside protesters mockingly chanted "Goodbye Ann Coulter."

About 10 Ottawa police cars were called to the scene, but there were no incidents.

Coulter expressed her outrage, calling the University of Ottawa a "bush league" institution in an interview for The Washington Times.

"This has never happened before," she told the newspaper. "I go to the best schools, Harvard, the Ivy League and those kids are too intellectually proud" to threaten speakers.

Levant blamed the bedlam on university academic vice-president Francois Houle, who had written Coulter to warn her that Canadian laws make provisions for hate speech.

"Promoting hatred against any identifiable group would not only be considered inappropriate, but could in fact lead to criminal charges," he warned her in the letter, which Coulter quickly leaked to the media.

The university has refused to comment since. Levant said Houle's advice to Coulter had emboldened students to block her appearance.

Coulter, a best-selling author and syndicated columnist, was in the middle of a three-city tour of Canada, which began at the University of Western Ontario in London on Monday, and ends in Calgary on Thursday.

The event in London went without incident, but not without controversy.

When answering questions from students, Coulter told a 17-year-old Muslim student to "take a camel" instead of the flying carpet she has previously suggested Muslims use for transportation. Coulter later told CTV that the "camel" remark was a joke.

Irish bishop resigns amid sex abuse scandal

Pope Benedict XVI accepted the resignation Wednesday of Bishop John Magee, a former papal aide who stands accused of endangering children by failing to follow the Irish church's own rules on reporting suspected pedophile priests to police.

Magee apologized to victims of any pedophile priests who were kept in parish posts since he took charge of the southwest Irish diocese of Cloyne in 1987.

"To those whom I have failed in any way, or through any omission of mine have made suffer, I beg forgiveness and pardon," the 73-year-old Magee said in a statement.

The pope on Saturday published an unprecedented letter to the Irish church criticizing some of its bishops for mishandling child-abuse cases. It accepted no Vatican responsibility for the decades of cover-up.

Benedict also has yet to accept resignation offers from three other Irish bishops who were linked to cover-ups of child-abuse cases in the Dublin Archdiocese, the subject of a major government-ordered investigation that published its findings four months ago.

[Does this mean the Pope will resign because he mishandled, covered-up, and didn’t report the abuses when he was a bishop?]

Proposed California Bill Protects Clergy

The California senate judiciary committee approved a bill Tuesday that would ensure that clergy members would not be forced to perform any marriage that goes against their beliefs.

The Civil Marriage Religious Freedom Act, which will now go to the full senate, also would protect religious institutions from losing their tax-exempt status for refusing to perform any civil marriage. Additionally, the legislation would make a clear legal distinction between religious and civil marriage.

While marriage equality was repealed in 2008, the effort to allow same-sex marriages in California is ongoing. Gay senator Mark Leno, who introduced the bill, said religious freedom is often used as an argument against legalizing same-sex marriage.

"While we know religious freedom is protected under our Constitution, this legislation eliminates any confusion or doubt under state law, reaffirming that no member of clergy or church will be penalized for refusing to solemnize marriages that violate their religious tenets," he said in a statement on Tuesday. "In the spirit of personal liberty and respect, this bill takes away any ambiguity about religious freedom when it comes to marriage for same-sex couples."

The 3-2 vote came with opposition by Republican senators Tom Harman and Mimi Walters. Equality California executive director Geoff Kors said the pair voted against the measure "because they would rather keep this issue as a weapon to confuse people, to propagate fear and continue using false arguments to deny equality to same-sex couples."

Church Cuts Homeless Group Over Gay Marriage Support

A Portland, Maine-based group that provides support and advocacy for the homeless has lost $50,000 in grants from the Catholic Church for its support of marriage equality.

According to the Portland Press Herald, “Preble Street's Homeless Voices for Justice program has lost $17,400 this year and will lose $33,000 that it expected for its next fiscal year.

“Officials with the Roman Catholic Diocese of Portland and the Washington-based Catholic Campaign for Human Development say that Preble Street violated its grant agreement by supporting Maine's ‘No on 1’ campaign last fall.”Maine voters approved Question 1 in November and repealed the state’s marriage equality law.

Republican Senator Tries to Halt D.C. Gay Marriages with Amendment to the Health Care Bill

"Sen. Robert S. Bennett (R-Utah) has introduced an amendment (to the health care reform bill) that would suspend the issuance of marriage licenses to same-sex couples (in Washington D.C.) until the issue could be put before voters. Bennett is emerging as the most stalwart congressional opponent to same-sex marriage in the District. Earlier this month, he sought to attach a similar amendment to a Federal Aviation Administration Reauthorization bill. But that amendment was ruled out of order. Bennett's latest attempt to force a referendum on the city's same-sex marriage law, which went into effect March. 3, has the support of GOP Sens. Roger Wicker (Miss), Pat Roberts (Kansas), Orrin Hatch (Utah), James M. Inhofe (Ok), and John Cornyn (Texas), according to the DCist blog. But Senate Democrats, who are trying to keep all GOP amendments off the reconciliation bill, are widely expected to kill Bennett's amendment, which was first reported by the New York Times."

NYT — "Bennett amendment: To protect the Democratic process and the right of the people of the District of Columbia to define marriage. (#3568)"

George W. Bush Wipes Hand on Bill Clinton's Shirt After Shaking Hands with Haitian

Former Presidents George W. Bush and Bill Clinton made a joint visit to Haiti this week to survey the earthquake devastation. While there they shook hands with plenty of survivors. Caught on tape was a moment in which Bush shook hands with someone and then wiped his hand off on Bill Clinton's shirt!

Mediaite writes: "The visuals just look bad – an American President shaking hands with a crowd of Haitians, then getting something he deems ‘icky’ and wiping it on the shirt of another American President."

New HIV infections increasing among international, US gays

New HIV infections are increasing among gays, drug users and prostitutes who don’t seek help because of laws that criminalize them, 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.

At a time when UNAIDS is scaling up its program and seeking universal access to HIV treatment, Sidibe said he was “very scared” because bad laws are being introduced by countries making it impossible for these at risk groups to have access to services.

“You have also a growing conservatism which is making me very scared,” Sidibe added.

“We must insist that the rights of the minorities are upheld. If we don’t do that … I think the epidemic will grow again,” he warned. “We cannot accept the tyranny of the majority.”

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.”

In addition to failing to adequately deliver the right messages about AIDS prevention, Sidibe blamed complacency in a new generation that has access to treatment.

Boy Scouts Celebrate 100th Anniversary With Unveiling of Decades Worth of Sex Abuse Cover-Ups

It's the best thing to happen to the Catholic Church in a long time: The Boy Scouts, another institution parents trust with the rearing of their children, is about to see some of its "perversion files" put on display for all the world to see.

Accused of covering up sex abuse allegations for decades, the Boy Scouts faces a lawsuit in Oregon based on abuse charges stemming from the 1980s. Former assistant scoutmaster Timur Dykes, who was convicted three times in the 1980s of sexual abuse of young boys, allegedly molested the plaintiff while he was a scout, leading to "mental health problems, bad grades in school, drug use, anxiety, difficulty maintaining relationships and lost several jobs over the years because of the abuse."

The lawyer for a man who was molested in the 1980s by a Scout leader has obtained about 1,000 Boy Scouts sex files and is expected to release some of them at a trial that began Wednesday. The lawyer says the files show how the Boy Scouts have covered up abuse for decades. The trial is significant because the files could offer a rare window into how the Boy Scouts have responded to sex abuse by Scout leaders. The only other time the documents are believed to have been presented at a trial was in the 1980s in Virginia.

At the start of the Oregon trial, attorney Kelly Clark recited the Boy Scout oath and the promise to obey Scout law to be "trustworthy." Then he presented six boxes of documents that he said will show "how the Boy Scouts of America broke that oath." He held up file folder after file folder he said contained reports of abuse from around the country, telling the jury the efforts to keep them secret may have actually set back efforts to prevent child abuse nationally. "The Boy Scouts of America ignored clear warning signs that Boy Scouts were being abused," Clark said.

And why haven't we seen these files before? Because, says Boy Scouts attorney Charles Smith, they contain "confidential information." Well, yeah.

Oh, what is it about organizations that terrorize the gays only to cover up pedophilia.

Common Acne Drug Helps Stop Spread of HIV in Body

Researchers have discovered that a common acne medication can help keep HIV--the virus that causes AIDS--from replicating in the human body, a March 18 Johns Hopkins press release announced.
Minocycline--a form of tetracycline--has been in use for three decades as an acne medication, but the researchers discovered that the drug can also suppress T cell replication--and, in doing so, prevent HIV from propagating itself. Just as importantly, the drug does not diminish the immune system’s ability to protect the body from disease, which is the primary role of T cells and the reason why HIV--which invades and destroys T cells--devastates the immune system and leads to Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome, or AIDS.

Researchers believe that if used in conjunction with a standard cocktail of drugs, the level of HIV in an infected person’s body can be kept low for a longer period of time--even if the patient misses doses of his or her drug regimen.

"The powerful advantage to using minocycline is that the virus appears less able to develop drug resistance because minocycline targets cellular pathways not viral proteins," Dr. Janice Clements said. Clements, a professor of molecular and comparative pathobiology at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine," added, "The big challenge clinicians deal with now in this country when treating HIV patients is keeping the virus locked in a dormant state... minocycline is another arm of defense against the virus."

Researchers have identified a variety of possible approaches to combat the spread of HIV and to help those who are already HIV positive. Advocate.com reported in a Dec. 3, 2009 article that a new microbicide has been shown to reduce the incidence of HIV transmission in women; other promising avenues include drugs that promote the human immune system’ own general strength, as well as enhancing the body’s own ability to fend off HIV. Those avenues may one day lead to a vaccine to help protect against infection.

A cure will be harder to create, since any cure would need to kill (or suppress replication of) the virus without doing too much harm to human tissue. Suppressing the replication of the virus is an important step toward better managing--and, perhaps one day curing--the disease.

Canadian University Tells Ann Coulter To Watch Her Mouth

A Canadian university has forewarned Ann Coulter to be mindful of what she says when she speaks on its campus this week.

The National Post reports that University of Ottawa Academic Vice President and Provost Francois Houle e-mailed the controversial pundit on Friday. He wrote:

"Our domestic laws, both provincial and federal, delineate freedom of expression (or "free speech") in a manner that is somewhat different than the approach taken in the United States. I therefore encourage you to educate yourself, if need be, as to what is acceptable in Canada and to do so before your planned visit here."

He continued, "Promoting hatred against any identifiable group would not only be considered inappropriate, but could in fact lead to criminal charges."

Houle also reminded Coulter of the strong Canadian tradition of "restraint, respect and consideration."

In response to Houle's e-mail, Coulter wrote on Big Government that she was "hoping for a fruit basket" from the university -- "not a threat to prosecute."

Coulter's visit also raised the ire of some students on campus. According to Macleans, University of Ottawa students started a "Ban Coulter from Campus" Facebook group and forbade signs advertising the talk from being posted in a main campus building.

Coulter, while known primarily for her barbs aimed at the Middle East, has been critical of Canada. She once said that Canadians "are lucky we allow them to exist on the same continent."

Lt. Dan Choi Rips HRC in Newsweek Interview: 'I Feel So Betrayed'

Lt. Dan Choi gives a revealing interview to Newsweek about what happened to him over the course of the two days during which he was cuffed at the White House, spent the night in jail (he was denied a phone call), and arraigned.

He also takes the Human Rights Campaign to task, throughout it:
— "Within the gay community so many leaders want acceptance from polite society. I think there's been a betrayal of what is down inside of us in order to achieve what looks popular, what look enviable. The movement seems to be centered around how to become an elite. There is a deep schism [in the gay-rights movement], everyone knows this. But this shouldn't be about which group has better branding. There is a tremor right now in every gay and transgender youth that these groups are not grasping. I would say to them—you do not represent us if all you are looking for is a ladder in to elite society. When I get messages from people who want to be a part of this I ask back: what are you willing to sacrifice? We are tired of being stereotyped as privileged, bourgeois elites. Is someone willing to give up their career, their relationships with powerful people, their Rolodex, or their parents' love to stand up for who they are? I'm giving up my military rank, my unit—which to me is a family—my veterans' benefits, my health care, so what are you willing to sacrifice?"

— "Ghandi (sic) did not need three-course dinners and a cocktail party to get his message out."

— "When I heard Kathy Griffin was going to be a spokeswoman for Don't Ask, Don't Tell, I wondered about that. I have great respect for her as an advocate. But if [the Human Rights Campaign] thinks that having a rally at Freedom Plaza with a comedienne is the right approach, I have to wonder. Don't Ask, Don't Tell is not a joking matter to me. To be at Freedom Plaza and not at the White House or Congress? Who are they trying to influence? I felt like they were just trying to speak to themselves. If that's the best the lobbying groups and HRC can do, then I don't know how these powerful groups are supposed to represent our community. Kathy Griffin and [HRC president] Jay (sic) Solmonese said they would march with me to the White House but didn’t. I feel so betrayed by them."

As a member of the military, Choi also says he's taking his direction from the Commander in Chief:
"We all know the political reality now. The only way for the repeal to go through is for the president to take leadership and put it in the Defense Authorization Bill. There's a sunset on this, and it's happening quickly. Obama told us at the HRC dinner last year, you need to put pressure on me. I was there at that dinner, in uniform. So this is my mission; the president said to pressure him and I heard that as a warning order."

YMCA Refuses Gay Couple Membership

A YMCA in North Carolina refused to grant the family rate to a same-sex couple who applied for membership last month.

According to the Winston-Salem Journal,Mark Maxwell and his partner, Timothy Young, were turned down when they applied to join the YMCA of Northwest North Carolina.

“Maxwell said he was told that the family rate doesn't apply to same-sex couples,” reports the Journal. “The rate is only for a husband and wife who are legally married according to state law or those who file joint tax returns.

“The YMCA of Northwest North Carolina is the only large metropolitan YMCA in the state that doesn't allow same-sex couples to get family memberships.”

Maxwell and Young are preparing to adopt their third child and are looking to balance their budget with a family membership rate. The head of the Y that refused them says the issue of same-sex membership does not appear often, according to the Journal.

“But Curt Hazelbaker, its president and chief executive, said that the organization is due to review its membership categories, which it does every four or five years. The last time it performed such a review was in 2006.”

Georgia High School Approves Gay Prom Date

"After asking Bleckley County school officials permission in January to take another boy to the prom, [Derrick] Martin got word last week that his high school will allow it. Bleckley’s prom is April 17 in the high school cafeteria. “I didn’t expect them to say yes. It’s who I am. I have the same rights,” he said. “It’s my senior prom and I wanted to be able to prove not everyone would cancel prom.” Martin is an honor student who tutors at-risk elementary and middle school students after school. He also has a full scholarship to college. He said he knew the move would be controversial for the town of about 5,200 residents. At his high school, prom dates from outside counties must be approved in advance, so Martin went to his principal and asked. “At first she said no, Cochran wasn’t ready for it,” he said. But then last week, school officials said they have no policy in place against it."

Meg Whitman spent $27 million on governor’s race in last 11 weeks

Republican Meg Whitman spent $27 million on her campaign for governor in the first 11 weeks of this year, according to a disclosure report she filed today. The record-shattering pace stems largely from a television ad blitz intended to portray Whitman positively in the minds of voters and tarnish her opponents.

David Petraeus On DADT: 'The Time Has Come'

CENTCOM Commander General David Petraeus came to the meeting of the Senate Armed Services Committee preparing to deliver an "eight-minute statement" expressing his personal feelings about the repeal of the military's "Don't Ask Don't Tell" policy. Unfortunately, Senator Carl Levin, who chaired the committee, put the kibosh on those plans, citing time constraints. Instead Petraeus simply told the committee that "the time has come" to give a repeal some due consideration. Petraeus endorsed the ongoing review of the matter that commenced at the direction of Secretary of Defense Robert Gates.

PETRAEUS: I believe the time has come to consider a change to Don't Ask, Don't Tell. But I think it should be done in a thoughtful and deliberative matter that should include the conduct of the review that Secretary Gates has directed that would consider the views in the force on the change of policy. It would include an assessment of the likely effects on recruiting, retention, morale and cohesion and would include an identification of what policies might be needed in the event of a change and recommend those polices as well.

Brazil Church Sex Scandal: Video Allegedly Shows Priest Abusing Altar Boy

Brazilian authorities are investigating three priests accused of sexually abusing altar boys after a video allegedly showing one case of abuse was broadcast on television, police and church officials said Tuesday.

The case came to light after the SBT network aired a video purportedly showing an 82-year-old priest having sex with a 19-year-old altar boy who worked for him for four years. Other young men appeared on the report saying that they, too, had been abused by Monsignor Luiz Marques Barbosa.
Also under investigation are Monsignor Raimundo Gomes, 52, and Father Edilson Duarte, 43, for allegedly having sexual relations with boys and young men.

According to a statement from the church, the three priests are "supposedly involved in acts (yet to be proven) of sexual abuse." The statement did not say whether the men admit or deny guilt. None of the priests could be located to ask about the case, and the church would not provide contact details for them.

A church official in the Penedo archdiocese, in the northeastern state of Alagoas, said the three have been suspended. A police official said the men are free pending the investigation, which should last until the end of April. Both the church official and the policeman spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the case.

A Vatican spokesman, the Rev. Federico Lombardi, said officials there were aware of the case.
In its report last week, SBT showed footage of a man who looks like Barbosa having sex with the 19-year-old. It said the footage was secretly filmed in January 2009 by a 21-year-old man who charges Barbosa had abused him since age 12.

SBT said the video was sent anonymously to the network, and reporters went to the town of 200,000 people to investigate last month.

An SBT reporter visited Barbosa's house to conduct an interview and confront him with the allegations.

Before raising the allegations of sexual abuse, the reporter asks if the priest had ever sinned.
"Who has never committed a sin?" Barbosa responds.

The priest is then asked if the region has problems with pedophilia.

"I think it is more (a problem) of homosexuality than pedophilia," Barbosa says.

Asked directly if he ever abused boys, Barbosa says he could only answer such a question "in confession." He then ends the interview, which was aired Thursday and posted on SBT's YouTube page.

Bishop Valerio Breda released a statement saying that in light of the "grave and lamentable facts made public on television," Barbosa and the two other priests had been suspended.

"We reproach, without restriction and with hearts broken by shame and sadness, the facts in the report which, despite their not having been proven, have outraged human and Christian conscience," Breda wrote.

He added that none of the alleged victims or their families had ever contacted the church regarding the allegations of abuse.

Breda said the church was cooperating with police and would also conduct its own investigation.
The church said it would not comment further on the case.

Vermont's Proposed Funding for Boy Scouts Scrutinized

Ten years after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that the Boy Scouts of America had a constitutional right to bar gays and lesbians from serving as troop leaders, gay rights groups in Vermont are fuming that the organization is appropriated a small amount of funding in Gov. James Douglas's fiscal 2011 budget.

Though proposed funding is a mere $7,500, officials at Outright Vermont, a Burlington-based gay rights group, said the governor's appropriation is a slap in the face to the state's LGBT families.

"Outright believes that all youth need positive role models and encourages lawmakers not to permit discrimination," the group said in a statement to The Barre-Montpelier Times Argus.

Officials with the Vermont Boy Scouts contend that the money from the state is used to pay for a Veterans Day parade, not for operating expenses.

Jesus Said...Love

Lambda Legal Files Suit in NJ for Marriage Equality

Lambda Legal filed a motion in New Jersey on Thursday seeking marriage equality on behalf of six couples and the surviving partner of a seventh:

"'The New Jersey Supreme Court ordered equality for same-sex couples when it decided our marriage lawsuit in 2006, and the legislature has failed to meet that crystal-clear obligation,' said Lambda Legal Deputy Legal Director Hayley Gorenberg. 'Civil unions are a failed legislative experiment in providing equality—marriage equality is the only solution.'"

The plaintiffs are those in the original Lewis v. Harris lawsuit:
"Lambda Legal filed Lewis v. Harris in June 2002 on behalf of seven same-sex couples seeking the right to marry. The New Jersey Supreme Court issued its ruling on October 25, 2006, unanimously agreeing that it is unconstitutional to give same-sex couples lesser rights than different-sex couples, but leaving the remedy to reach equality up to the legislature. In January 2007 the New Jersey

7 L.A. councilmembers have refused to take pay cuts

Thousands of Los Angeles city employees have been targeted for layoffs or had their pay reduced in response to the city's budget crisis. Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa has taken a voluntary pay cut; so have eight City Council members. But Michael Linder at KABC AM-790 reports that members Richard Alarcon, Bernard Parks, Greig Smith, Tony Cardenas, Herb Wesson, Bill Rosendahl and Paul Krekorian — the new guy — have so far declined to cut their highest-in-the-nation salaries. Parks, of course, also takes home a substantial city pension for his years of employment by the police department. Linder says the subject will be the main topic on Peter Tilden's show at 7:05 a.m. last Thursday.

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Website Ranks the Top 10 Antigay Activists Who Like Gay Hookups

Following the coming-out of Roy Ashburn, the Republican state senator from California, website Ranker.com named the "Top 10 Antigay Activists Caught Being Gay."

Other politicians to make the list include former U.S. senator Larry Craig and the Reverend Ted Haggard.

N.J. Marriage Goes Back to Court

Two months after the New Jersey senate failed to pass a bill to legalize marriage equality, gay rights advocates are heading back to the state supreme court.

Lambda Legal and Garden State Equality will officially announce their plans on Thursday (today), according to WNBC News.

The case will draw from the 2006 ruling by the N.J. supreme court that ordered the state to issue marriages or civil unions to same-sex couples. The state settled on civil unions, but advocates have argued that their unions are separate and not equal

Gay Marriage Support Increasing Among Students

A new report shows that support for same-sex marriage among college freshmen has increased by 13% in the last decade.

According to the Higher Education Research Institute, acceptance of gay marriage among first-year students is higher than almost all other group sorted by race, religion, and political leanings.

Sixty-nine percent of college freshmen support gay marriage, up from 56% in 2000. Since the survey began asking in 1997, research indicates that support for same-sex marriage has jumped 21% among left-leaning students, 16% among moderate students and 2% among right-leaning students.

Executive director Evan Wolfson of Freedom to Marry points to personal experience as a source of growing support among students. "Young people who know gay people, talk with them, and examine why marriage matters in the lives of real people move in support,” he said in the Chronicle of Higher Education.

Pioneering Gay Catholic Priest Robert Carter, Founded National Gay and Lesbian Task Force, Dies at 82

The NYT reports that Robert Carter (right), a Roman Catholic priest who came out in the early 70's before helping found the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force, died last month in the Bronx at the age of 82:

"His death, at a Jesuit health care facility, was confirmed by the Rev. Thomas R. Slon, executive assistant to the provincial of the New York Province of the Society of Jesus. Father Carter’s coming out was a very public one. In October 1973, Dr. Howard J. Brown, a former New York City health services administrator, announced that he was gay and that he was forming a civil rights organization for homosexual men and women. Then called the National Gay Task Force, it later became the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force. An article about the group in The New York Times said: 'A number of homosexual and lesbian organizations were represented on the board. One member was the Rev. Robert Carter, a Jesuit priest and professor of historical theology.' Soon afterward he was visited by a subprovincial of the Jesuit order. 'It seems that they were afraid I had had a psychotic break or something,' Father Carter wrote in an unpublished memoir."

Among other accomplishments, Carter also helped found the New York Chapter of Dignity USA, the group I mentioned earlier today which took out the ad in the Colorado newspapers.

Government revisiting restrictions on blood donations by gay men

Federal health officials announced Friday that they would reexamine a 27-year-old set of restrictions on blood donations by gay men.

The restrictions, enacted in the early years of the AIDS epidemic in the United States, impose a lifetime ban on men donating blood if they've had sex with another man at any time since 1977.

In recent years, the American Red Cross, the American Assn. of Blood Banks and America's Blood Centers, which collectively represent almost all blood banks in the country, have recommended loosening the restrictions to allow men who have abstained from gay sex for one year to donate blood.

The American Medical Assn. also has proposed revising the policy but recommended a five-year instead of a one-year waiting period.

Gay rights groups also have pushed for a change in the donor policy, arguing that it stigmatizes gay men and does not adequately address threats to blood safety posed by high-risk heterosexual behaviors.

SF mayor Newsom to run for CA lieutenant governor

After dropping out of the gubernatorial race last year, San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom announced Friday that he is running for lieutenant governor.

Newsom’s announcement wasn’t a surprise – he filed papers Feb. 17 with the secretary of state, a necessary step to run again for a statewide office. But he had refused to confirm his candidacy until Friday’s deadline.

“Like many, I’ve openly questioned whether the office of LG is the right place to lead a reform movement that has the power to shake up Sacramento,” he said in a statement Friday.

“But, as I’ve opened my mind … I’m more convinced than ever that the broad, informal portfolio of the office allows our Lieutenant Governor the freedom and platform to engage on any issue, from the ground up, without being distracted or deterred by the usual Sacramento power plays or bureaucratic turf battles.”

The office of lieutenant governor is seen by some as a springboard to a higher office for the ambitious 42-year-old mayor best known for his approval of same-sex marriages at San Francisco’s City Hall in 2004.

“The lieutenant governor’s job is a stepping stone for running for governor – pure and simple,” University of California, Berkeley political scientist Bruce Cain said in an e-mail. “It will give Gavin statewide exposure and fundraising contacts, and soften the image of being a San Francisco official, a position that does not play so well in the central valley, inland empire or parts of Southern California.”

This time last year, Newsom was canvassing the state in a bid to become the next California governor.

First Gay Marriage, Then Equine Marriage

J.D. Hayworth, the former Arizona congressman who hopes to take John McCain's Senate seat, believes same-sex marriage will lead to people marrying horses.

The conservative Republican made the following statement during an interview with Orlando, Fla., radio station WORL on Sunday: "You see, the Massachusetts supreme court, when it started this move toward same-sex marriage, actually defined marriage — now get this — it defined marriage as simply 'the establishment of intimacy.' Now, how dangerous is that? I mean, I don't mean to be absurd about it, but I guess I can make the point of absurdity with an absurd point — I guess that would mean if you really had affection for your horse, I guess you could marry your horse. It's just the wrong way to go, and the only way to protect the institution of marriage is with that federal marriage amendment that I support."

Pope Implicated in German Sex Scandal

Pope Benedict XVI's apparent mishandling of a priest sex abuse case while serving as archbishop in Germany has fueled further outrage in a widening scandal for the Roman Catholic Church in Europe.

The New York Times reports that during his tenure as archbishop of the Munich and Friesling archdiocese in Germany, Benedict recommended a therapy program in 1980 for a priest accused of molesting children. After returning to pastoral duty, the priest was later convicted of sexually abusing minors and was given an 18-month suspended sentence.

In a Friday statement, the German archdiocese acknowledged it had made "serious mistakes" in the case.

But after initially declining comment on the archdiocese statement, Vatican spokesman Reverend Federico Lombardi addressed the issue Saturday and asserted that Benedict bore no responsibility in the matter. "[It is] evident that in recent days there are those who have tried, with a certain aggressive tenacity, in Regensburg and in Munich, to find elements to involve the Holy Father personally in issues of abuse. ... It is clear that those efforts have failed.”

Deadline Looms for DADT Enforcement Changes

The Pentagon is preparing for possible changes to to the military's "don't ask, don't tell" policy which Jeh Johnson, general counsel for the Defense Department, said earlier this month would be delivered by March 19.

Defense secretary Robert Gates issued a deadline for this week to announce the changes.

Those adjustments, known as the Obama Rule, could include altering what can be categorized as admissible evidence to initiate a discharge, raising the level of review for who can launch or approve a discharge, and limiting investigations based on third-party allegations, among others, according to the Palm Center, a military think tank at the University of California, Santa Barbara.

Author and Palm Center research fellow Nathaniel Frank said the move may be the "beginning of the end" of "don't ask, don't tell." Aaron Belkin, the director of the Palm Center, noted that the military's action would contribute to dampening the effects of "don't ask, don't tell," even if Congress takes no action to suspend or repeal the policy.

Barney Frank Predicts the Future!

We love it when politicians try to look into their crystal balls and predict what the future will look like — because, when those scenarios don't play out, we get to point back at their statements and call them liars! Except Rep. Barney Frank thus far has a pretty decent record with tea leaves. Back in September, for example, he insisted repealing the Defense of Marriage Act is "not anything that’s achievable in the near term." 'Twas right! So what do Barney's tarot cards say about other gayish stuff?

When Congress will pass ENDA and repeal DADT: This year, maybe. "I think we have a very good chance of passing [ENDA] and repealing gays in the military. Public opinion is clearly moving in our direction, especially [ among the younger generation ] . The younger people, [ they are ] the key to [ repelling "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" ] . Younger people today are much less prejudice."

When LGBT battles will be "substantially over": Less than 20 years. By then, "I think [ LGBT issues ] will be substantially over; that is, we will have full legal equality. It may even be less if we make the same rate of progress."

When we'll finally have no LGBT battles to fight: In 38 years. "I see a parallel, to some extent, with anti-Semitism. When I was graduating from high school in 1958, anti-Semitism also loomed as an obstacle for my career plans. But that's gone now [ for the most part; ] it's not an obstacle."

When little gay boys and girls will have an out professional athlete to look up to: Within 10 years. "Sure, there is this problem of intimacy in the locker room, so that's why it's going to be one of the last places [ to welcome the LGBT community ]. I think you'll probably see more ex-athletes coming out and, as that happens, then it will be possible for current athletes to come out."

Support for same-sex marriage reaches 50 percent

Support for same-sex marriage appears to be increasing in California and has hit 50 percent for the first time in polling by the Public Policy Institute of California.

The new survey indicates that gay marriage advocates who want to repeal California's Proposition 8 might have a fighting chance of prevailing, if they can qualify their measure for the November ballot.

Proposition 8, passed in 2008, places a prohibition on same-sex marriage in the state constitution and is being litigated in federal court. While one faction of gay marriage supporters is backing the repeal initiative, another group has contended that the climate for repeal must change more before trying to undo Proposition 8.

The PPIC poll found that support for gay marriage has reached 50 percent for the first time since the San Francisco-based think tank began polling on the issue in 2000. A sharp partisan division remains, with 64 percent of Democrats supporting same-sex marriage rights, while 67 percent of Republicans are opposed. However, 55 percent of independents are in favor.

The PPIC poll covered a wide range of political and social topics, and its findings largely mirrored those of a recent series of polls by the Field Research Corp. Among them:

• Businesswoman Meg Whitman has a very wide lead over Insurance Commissioner Steve Poizner, 61 percent to 11 percent, in their contest for the Republican gubernatorial nomination, and she's slightly ahead of the sole Democratic candidate, Attorney General Jerry Brown, 44 percent to 39 percent.

• Like the Field Poll, PPIC found that the economy, by a wide margin, is the political policy issue uppermost in the minds of voters.

• Another Republican business executive, Carly Fiorina, and former U.S. Rep. Tom Campbell are virtually tied for the U.S. Senate nomination, with Assemblyman Chuck DeVore far behind both. With the leaders in the mid-20 percent range, nearly half of Republicans say they are undecided. Either Campbell or Fiorina is virtually tied with Democratic Sen. Barbara Boxer.

• By a 2-1 margin, California voters are inclined to vote for Proposition 14, which would create a new kind of primary election for political offices in which all candidates, regardless of party, would appear on the same ballot and the top two primary vote-getters would face each other in the November general election.

• Nearly 70 percent of Californians support immigration reform, including creating a pathway to citizenship for those in the country illegally.

• While 77 percent believe that the state budget crisis is a big problem, they divide evenly on whether the deficit should be mostly by spending cuts (39 percent) or a combination of cuts and new taxes (38 percent), but just 6 percent say it should be taxes alone.

• Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's approval rating among voters has plummeted to 25 percent, virtually identical to the Field Poll number, while the Legislature's performance wins approval of just 9 percent, the first time that figure has dropped into the single digits. Field had it at 13 percent.

• President Barack Obama's standing in California also has slipped, with approval now at 52 percent among voters, down 13 percentage points from a year ago. Congressional approval has also declined to 14 percent, half of what it was in January. But, oddly, 44 percent of voters like the job their own congressional members are doing.

Tutu: Africa must stop anti-gay "wave of hate"

Desmond Tutu, the Nobel laureate and archbishop emeritus of Cape Town, denounces violence against LGBT people in Africa in an op-ed in The Washington Post. He calls recent moves “terrible backward steps for human rights in Africa.”

“Gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered people are part of so many families,” writes Tutu. “They are part of the human family. They are part of God's family. And of course they are part of the African family. But a wave of hate is spreading across my beloved continent. People are again being denied their fundamental rights and freedoms. Men have been falsely charged and imprisoned in Senegal, and health services for these men and their community have suffered. In Malawi, men have been jailed and humiliated for expressing their partnerships with other men. Just this month, mobs in Mtwapa Township, Kenya, attacked men they suspected of being gay. Kenyan religious leaders, I am ashamed to say, threatened an HIV clinic there for providing counseling services to all members of that community, because the clerics wanted gay men excluded.”

“Uganda's parliament is debating legislation that would make homosexuality punishable by life imprisonment, and more discriminatory legislation has been debated in Rwanda and Burundi.”
“The wave of hate must stop. Politicians who profit from exploiting this hate, from fanning it, must not be tempted by this easy way to profit from fear and misunderstanding. And my fellow clerics, of all faiths, must stand up for the principles of universal dignity and fellowship. Exclusion is never the way forward on our shared paths to freedom and justice.”

Catholic School's Decision that Children of Lesbian Parents Cannot Attend

The Boulder, Colorado Catholic school Sacred Heart of Jesus denyed enrollment to a child, two children actually, because their parents are lesbians.

Archbishop Charles Chaput is defended the school yesterday in the Denver Catholic Register, saying:

"The Church does not claim that people with a homosexual orientation are 'bad,' or that their children are less loved by God. Quite the opposite. But what the Church does teach is that sexual intimacy by anyone outside marriage is wrong; that marriage is a sacramental covenant; and that marriage can only occur between a man and a woman. These beliefs are central to a Catholic understanding of human nature, family and happiness, and the organization of society. The Church cannot change these teachings because, in the faith of Catholics, they are the teachings of Jesus Christ. [He added people with a different understanding of marriage and family life] have other, excellent options for education and should see in them the better course for their children."

Bill O'Reilly had Father Jonathan Morris from West Palm Beach on recently to defend the Catholic Church's actions.

Prop 8 Opponents Must Share Internal Memos, Emails

Prop 8 opponents have lost their battle to keep internal memos and emails from lawyers for the other side, the AP reports:

"U.S. District Chief Judge Vaughn Walker ruled Monday that the groups must surrender the campaign documents as evidence in a federal trial on the constitutionality of Proposition 8. Walker's decision upholds a previous ruling by a federal magistrate. The trial is the first in federal court to examine whether the U.S. Constitution prevents states from outlawing gay marriage. The American Civil Liberties Union, one of the three groups that must turn over campaign materials, previously said it would appeal if Walker upheld the magistrate's order."

Mercury News: "In a 24-page ruling, Chief U.S. District Judge Vaughn Walker rejected the arguments of the American Civil Liberties Union and Equality California...The ACLU has argued that the documents are confidential campaign exchanges protected by the First Amendment as political speech. But Walker, who issued a similar order before trial forcing the Prop. 8 side to release some campaign material, disagreed, giving the groups until April 12 to release the documents."

Westboro Baptist Church Goes to Washington

As Fred Phelps and his Westboro Baptist Church prepare to stand before the Supreme Court and defend their right to free speech, Fred's estranged son, lawyer Nate Phelps, continues his fight for the other side.

Fred Phelps and his Topeka, Kan.–based Westboro Baptist Church have long provoked LGBT Americans with their outrageous protests, featuring garish signs that proclaim “God Hates Fags.” These protests were all the more enraging because they first appeared at the funerals of people who had died of AIDS complications. However, the Phelps clan remained a sideshow with little coverage from the mainstream media until they began appearing at funerals for military personnel killed in Iraq or Afghanistan with signs stating “Thank God for Dead Troops” and blaming any American tragedy on their perception that the United States condones and tolerates homosexuality.

In 2007 the family of a soldier whose funeral had been picketed by Westboro Baptist successfully sued the organization, claiming they had been emotionally traumatized by the protest, and won a judgment of nearly $11 million. Many welcomed any strike against the Phelps hatred machine, but some quietly worried about any infringement on First Amendment protections for freedom of speech — protections that LGBT people had defended at great cost. Indeed, it did not come as a great surprise when a federal appeals court struck down the fine last year, citing the First Amendment.

A few days ago the U.S. Supreme Court announced it would hear an appeal of the case. In a wildly polarized America, the Phelps clan will soon be standing before the Supreme Court presenting themselves as a band of religious freedom fighters. What is discomforting is that Westboro Baptist might actually have a case that could force liberals to grudgingly admit that free speech must remain free, regardless of how hateful it might be.

Virginia governor's anti-bias directive means little

Virginia Gov. Robert F. McDonnell -- in issuing a directive that state workers can be fired if they engage in bias based on sexual orientation -- is trying to find a middle ground between his anti-gay social conservative base who don't want any LGBT protections and business and academic leaders who support such measures. "What's really important to me is McDonnell took the easy way out," said Sarah Warbelow, state legislative director for the Human Rights Campaign. "It's meaningless. Directives do not carry the force of law."

CDC: Younger MSMs Hardest Hit by HIV, Syphilis

A new analysis from the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention reaffirms previously studies that show that younger MSMs (men who have sex with men), which includes gay and bisexual men, are particularly hard-hit by STDs like HIV and syphilis.

MSMs in America are 44 times more likely than men in the general population to become infected with HIV, and 40 times more likely than women in general, the U. S. Department of Health and Human Services announced. Syphilis rates for MSMs were 46 times greater than for other men, and 71 times greater than the rate of infection among women in general.

Couples wed under marriage-equality law in Mexico City

Under a landmark Mexico City law, five same-sex couples became the first to legally marry in Latin America. The law passed last week, but it is only valid in the capital district and does not yet pave the way for shared benefits.