Big Bird Talks HIV in Nigeria

Sesame Workshop announced that the company will be expanding a Nigerian version of Sesame Street with the goal of discussing HIV/AIDS, female empowerment, and the importance of education.

Anglican Archbishop Speaks Out Against Lesbian Bishop, Refuses to Speak Out Against Uganda 'Kill Gays' Bill

More on the election of openly lesbian bishop suffragan of the Episcopal Diocese of Los Angeles Mary Glasspool over the weekend.

Said Glasspool: "I'm very excited about the future of the whole Episcopal Church and I see the Diocese of Los Angeles leading the way into that future. But for just for this moment, let me say again, thank you, and thanks be to our loving and supporting God, a surprising God."

The L.A. Times reports: "Today, as he announced the vote that gave Glasspool a majority, Los Angeles Episcopal Bishop J. Jon Bruno's voice choked with emotion. Then he joked that someone had asked whether he could work with two women as his suffragan bishops. 'I have to tell you I was born from a mother’s womb and I’ve been taking orders from women ever since,' he said, adding, 'I can assure you I can work with two women.' After her election, Glasspool was surrounded by supporters, both gay and straight. Several wept as they embraced her."

The Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams is concerned about the election of Glasspool: "In a statement posted on his website Dr Williams said the election 'raises very serious questions not just for the Episcopal Church and its place in the Anglican Communion, but for the Communion as a whole'. ... 'The process of selection however is only part complete,' he said. 'The election has to be confirmed, or could be rejected, by diocesan bishops and diocesan standing committees. That decision will have very important implications.' Bishops of the US Episcopal Church voted in July to overturn a three-year ban on the appointment of gay bishops. Anglican leaders had asked the Church to observe the moratorium. 'The bishops of the Communion have collectively acknowledged that a period of gracious restraint in respect of actions which are contrary to the mind of the Communion is necessary if our bonds of mutual affection are to hold,' said Dr Williams."

Williams, incidentally, has refused to condemn Uganda's "kill the gays" bill:

"In response to public pressure, Williams’ office said on December 3 that 'attempts to publicly influence either the local church or political opinion in Uganda would be divisive and counter productive. Our contacts, at both national and diocesan level, with the local church will therefore remain intensive but private'. While most accept the Archbishop’s sincerity in opposing the Ugandan legislation, many suggest that he is being naïve about his tactics and giving the impression that Christian leaders will not speak up for gay people’s human rights. His decision to question Glasspool’s appointment, while saying nothing on Uganda, is likely to fuel such criticisms."

Supreme Court to decide if college Christian group must allow gays

The Supreme Court said Monday it will decide whether a California law school must force a Christian group to admit gays, lesbians and nonbelievers to gain stature as an official campus organization.

The high court agreed to hear an appeal from a chapter of the Christian Legal Society at the University of California’s Hastings College of the Law. A federal judge had turned aside the group’s attempt to force the school to give it campus funding and other benefits without opening its membership to gays, lesbians and nonbelievers – a requirement of the San Francisco school.

The 30-member Hastings group was told in 2004 that it was being denied recognition, including university funding and benefits, because of its policy of exclusion.

Federal courts have rejected the group’s assertions that the law school’s policy violated its freedoms of speech, religion and association.

According to a society news release, it invites all students to its meetings.

“However, CLS voting members and officers must affirm its Statement of Faith,” the statement said. “CLS interprets the Statement of Faith to include the belief that Christians should not engage in sexual conduct outside of a marriage between a man and a woman.”

The Christian Legal Society has more than 100 chapters at universities nationwide. The group has sued other universities on the same grounds.

It won at Southern Illinois University, whether the unversity settled with the group in 2007 and recognized its membership and leadership policies.

The case is Christian Legal Society v. Martinez, 08-1371.

McDonald's Manager to Trans Woman: 'We Do Not Hire F*ggots'

Transgender Legal Defense and Education Fund (TLDEF) has filed a discrimination complaint with the Florida Commission on Human Relations against McDonald's based on a voicemail message to 17-year-old Zikerria Bellamy from an Orlando restaurant manager.

Said the message: "You went to (indistinguishable) McDonalds today. It doesn't matter how many times you go down there: You will not get hired. We do not hire faggots....You lied to me. You told me you was a woman. And then you lied to me. You told me you were seventeen. I can't believe you. You're a lying brother (indistinguishable). How could you ever lie to me? We will never..."

13-Year-Old Testifies on NJ Marriage

In her testimony Monday on marriage equality in New Jersey, Jessie Petrow-Cohen says the "only thing that’s different about my family and every one of yours is that we have to stand here and ask you if we can legally be a family."


On Monday, 13-year-old Jessie Petrow-Cohen testified before the New Jersey state senate judiciary committee on marriage equality. This is the first of two votes expected this week on marriage. The following is the written text of her testimony.

My name is Jessie Petrow-Cohen and I live with my Moms, my sister, my three dogs, our gecko, our hermit crabs, our guinea pigs and our snails in Maplewood, New Jersey. To me a family is a group of people who love each other and are willing to do anything for one another. Let me tell you a little bit about my family.

Like most families, mornings are crazy and one of us will usually leave home without something pretty important. Between walking the dogs and making lunches everyone’s just running around trying to get out the door. Wednesdays are insane. There’s gymnastics, Hebrew school, usually someone who needs to go to a friends house to pick up homework or something like that. And of course we have to get home to watch Glee. We have holidays together with grandparents, cousins, aunts and uncles; go on vacations together and my parents are at every sports competition or game my sister and I have ever had. I tell them everything about school and friends. I feel that my family is no different. Except for just one thing -- in New Jersey where we live together we are a family but legally we are not.

When anyone is curious about my family I am glad to tell them. When I told my friends I would be coming here today, they went home and begged there parents if they could come to support me -- in fact one of my closest friends, Glynnis Olin, is here with us today. The only thing that’s different about my family and every one of yours is that we have to stand here and ask you if we can legally be a family when you can be one without asking anyone. I think that us having to do something like that may just make our love stronger, but it’s gotten to the point where it just isn’t fair.

When I fill out forms in the beginning of the year it says mother emergency number and father emergency number. In fourth grade, we were making fathers day cards and even though I don’t have a father the teacher made me write one to an imaginary father -- it was crazy. On back to school night my sister had to write a letter to our parents and was required to follow the format on the board that included “Dear Mom and Dad.” It’s these little things over and over again that set my family apart from being totally normal because other then the fact that some people don’t want to give my parents the right to get married, we are.

While some of these situations are unfair, our friends and neighbors are very supportive and helpful. Last December, my house had a very serious fire and the whole community of Maplewood was amazing. People we barely knew offered us a place to stay in their home. For two months after the fire the doorbell rang at 6:00 and a delicious home made dinner was brought to us. People took down our clothing sizes and went out and bought totally new wardrobes. If you are worried that the people of New Jersey are not ready to accept us, I’m here to tell you that they have been for a while. So please, I would really like to be able to dance at my parents’ wedding.

Anglican Leader Warns About Lesbian Bishop

The leader of the worldwide Anglican communion issued a harsh statement to Episcopal Church leaders in response to the election of an out lesbian bishop in the Episcopal diocese of Los Angeles on Saturday.

Rowan Williams, the archbishop of Canterbury, told members of his church’s U.S. branch that the election of the Reverend Canon Mary D. Glasspool, who would become the second openly gay bishop after V. Gene Robinson, “raises serious questions,” according to the Los Angeles Times.

"The election of Mary Glasspool by the diocese of Los Angeles as suffragan bishop elect raises very serious questions not just for the Episcopal Church and its place in the Anglican Communion, but for the Communion as a whole," wrote Williams, according to the Times.

Over the next four months, Episcopal Church leaders will vote on the Glasspool selection made by the Los Angeles diocese.

AFL-CIO Makes Biggest Push Yet To Kill Portions Of Senate Health Care Bill

As the debate over health care reform enters its final weeks, the AFL-CIO is launching its largest lobbying effort to date, dispatching 175 labor leaders to Capitol Hill and pouring $1.5 million into a new ad campaign to fight key aspects of the Senate's legislation.

In what an aide is calling "the largest fly-in we have done since the health care campaign began," the union conglomerate is blitzing both House and Senate offices this week, demanding a public option for insurance coverage, a requirement that employers cover insurance for their workers and a pay-for system that does not rely on taxing high-end health care benefits. The Senate seems poised to oppose the AFL-CIO on all three of these fronts -- setting up, what will likely be, an intense set of negotiations with the House should the legislation come to conference committee.

The targets of the AFL-CIO's newest effort include lawmakers from at least 16 states, an aide says. Labor leaders will be flying in from Arkansas, Connecticut, Delaware, Indiana, North Carolina, North Dakota, Virginia, Maryland, Florida, Missouri, California, Nevada, Maryland, Nebraska, Texas and Virginia.

"There's the straight-up policy angle that we believe the House version is better public policy, to have the very rich pay instead of working families," said Eddie Vale, spokesman for the AFL-CIO. "But we will also be making the political argument.

Democrats campaigned during the election saying, 'We're going to protect workers from having their benefits taxed.' If they don't come through on their campaign promises, [that] is going to depress their base and hurt them in 2010."

In addition to the in-office visits, the AFL-CIO, which has been one of the most forceful progressive players in the health care debate, is also taking to the airwaves. The group is putting $1.5 million behind a new television ad campaign. The spot, which is airing both nationally and in Delaware, Indiana, North Dakota and Virginia, goes after the Senate for "taxing worker's health care benefits."

Second gay bishop for Episcopal Church, Anglicans

The Episcopal Diocese of Los Angeles has elected a lesbian as assistant bishop, the second openly gay bishop in the global Anglican fellowship, which is already deeply fractured over the first.

Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams, spiritual leader of the world’s 77 million Anglicans, said Sunday that the choice raised “very serious questions” for the divided church and urged restraint.

The Rev. Mary Glasspool of Baltimore needs approval from a majority of dioceses across the church before she can be consecrated as assistant bishop in the Los Angeles diocese.

Still, her victory Saturday underscored a continued Episcopal commitment to accepting same-sex relationships despite enormous pressure from other Anglicans to change their stand.

“Any group of people who have been oppressed because of any one, isolated aspect of their persons yearns for justice and equal rights,” Glasspool said in a statement, thanking the diocese for choosing her.

The head of the Episcopal Church, Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori, is scheduled to consecrate Glasspool on May 15 in Los Angeles, if the church accepts the vote.

Gay marriage bill up for vote in NJ this week

A bill to legalize gay marriage in New Jersey will be posted for a vote this week.

Sen. Ray Lesniak, a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, says the bill is scheduled to go before that committee on Monday and will be voted on by the full Senate next Thursday.

Garden State lawmakers who support the idea have been reluctant to post the bill for a vote unless they were fairly certain it would pass. Both houses of the Legislature must pass it before it goes to the governor.

Outgoing Gov. Jon Corzine has said he would sign a gay-marriage bill into law. His replacement, Gov.-elect Chris Christie, takes office next month and says he would veto it.

New Jersey currently has a civil unions law.

Gay Candidates for L.A. Episcopal Bishop

Two gay candidates are among those who could be selected to replace two retiring assistant bishops in the Episcopal diocese of Los Angeles on Friday.

The diocese is meeting at its annual convention. If one or both gay candidates prevail, according to the Associated Press, it would mark the first election of a bishop in a same-sex relationship since Bishop V. Gene Robinson was elected in New Hampshire in 2003.

The two gay candidates are the Reverend John L. Kirkley of San Francisco and the Reverend Canon Mary D. Glasspool of Baltimore, reports the AP.

The Episcopal General Convention lifted a moratorium on electing gay bishops in July.

Cardinal: No Place in Heaven for Gays

Homosexuals and transsexuals "will never enter the kingdom of heaven," Cardinal Javier Lozano Barragan said Wednesday, reports Italian news agency Ansa.

Cardinal Barragan, of Mexico, declared that being gay is an "insult to God," but he added that discrimination against gays and transsexuals should not be condoned.

Meredith Baxter From "Family Ties": I'm Gay

Meredith Baxter has given an interview to the Advocate coming out as a lesbian, followed by an appearance on Wednesday's "Today" show. Baxter has been married three times and has five grown kids, but the sitcom mom says she came out to herself and family about seven years ago. Baxter, 62, has been dating Nancy Locke, a 54-year-old contractor, for four years. She is also an alcoholic, and she's been sober for 19 years.

Recently the National Enquirer reported she was on a lesbian cruise.

A few choice questions from the Advocate, scroll down for "Today" quotes:

When did you realize you were gay?

Thirteen years ago I had a short-term affair with somebody -- a woman -- who I just cared for tremendously as a person, [I] was not really attracted to her, but the best way to describe it, [a romance] seemed like the next natural step in our relationship just because I cared about her a lot. Not once -- it's probably hard to imagine -- but not once did it occur to me that I was a lesbian. Not once. I just thought, OK, I don't think so, and went off and got married again for a short period of time. And a couple years after that, I entered my next foray into being with a woman, and the penny dropped at that point...

In your personal life with the people you've told, has it been a cakewalk?

Maybe a cakewalk on their side. It was absolute fucking agony for me, only in the respect that I was so fearful.

Fearful of what?

Fearful of reaction, of judgment, of whatever I was sure was going to come....When Prop. 8 was happening, did you consider coming out then?No, no, that would have seemed opportunistic. I didn't see the point in that. I may be wrong, but that's where I was at that point. It was certainly just heartbreaking to see that go down -- I didn't expect that at all. I really thought we were going to be OK.

Meanwhile, on "Today," Baxter told Matt Lauer "I am a lesbian and it was a later-in-life recognition.Some people would say, well, you're living a lie and, you know, the truth is not at all. This has only been for the past seven years."

She went on, "I've always lived a very private life. To come out and disclose stuff is very antithetical to who I am."

America Wastes 40% of It's Food Supply Every Year

America, a new study suggests, wastes 40% of its food supply annually. Published in the Public Library of Science, the research indicates a dramatic increase over the last decades, up from 28% in 1974.

This number, however, is not what it seems.

To understand this percentage, you have to first look at what it intends to calculate.

It does not represent the amount of food that makes it into our refrigerators and pantries only to end up in the garbage. This waste is usually estimated to be closer to 27 % of all food available for consumption, or about one pound per person per day.

Instead, the PLoS study's 40% is an estimate of waste in the entire food system. This means that all the waste that occurs between the field and processing plant, that plant and the store, the store and our homes, and our refrigerators and our mouths is included.

NOM to D.C. Council: The People of D.C. 'Have a God-Given Right to Vote for Marriage'

The national Organization for Marriage issued a statement in response to the D.C. Council's approval of marriage equality 11-2 in the first of two votes.

Said Executive Director Brian Brown: "This battle is not over. DC politicians are blocking the right of people to vote on marriage. Voters in 31 other states have already exercised their right to vote on this issue. It is ironic that some politicians actively campaign demanding DC voting rights and yet they are conspiring to deny those same citizens the right to vote on the definition of marriage. We will not give up on D.C. The people of D.C. have the right to vote for marriage; we will fight for their rights and we will win. NOM will be proud to fight alongside Bishop Harry Jackson to make sure politicians hear the people's voice loud and clear: don't mess with marriage. We will fight in Congress. We will fight through the courts to get this to the people of D.C. who have a God-given right to vote for marriage and Charter-given right to overturn the council's decision. We are confident marriage will win in the end in D.C. as it has in Maine and 30 other states."

Lawyers Want Yes on 8 E-mails

Lawyers for two gay couples told a federal appeals court on Tuesday that they need access to internal communications from last year's Proposition 8 campaign.

A lawyer for the plaintiffs, Theodore J. Boutrous, told three U.S. ninth circuit court of appeals judges that getting access to the internal communications was vital to demonstrate that campaigners for Prop. 8 intentionally sought to incite fear and anger in voters.

Meanwhile, the defendants claim that releasing the documents would infringe on their freedom of speech and association.

"We have a 1st Amendment right not to disclose what we hold confidential and private," said Charles J. Cooper, an attorney representing Protect Marriage, the group behind the Prop, 8 initiative, reports the Los Angeles Times.

The two couples filed a lawsuit after being denied marriage licenses after the November 2008 ballot initiative passed, defining marriage as a union between a man and a woman in the Golden State's constitution.

The couples claim that their federal constitutional rights to due process and equal protection as outlined in the 14th Amendment have been violated by narrow definition of marriage.

The couples' lawsuit is set for trial January 11 before U.S. district judge Vaughn Walker in San Francisco.

Walker had previously ordered Prop. 8 supporters to turn over e-mails and communications sent to third parties related to the strategy for winning over voters, but the group appealed to the ninth circuit.

N.Y. Marriage Lost ... For Now

The New York state senate Wednesday down a marriage equality bill by a wide margin, following months of delay and protracted political drama.

In a special legislative session the senate voted 38 to 24 against the bill, supported by New York governor David Paterson, after emotional pleas by senate supporters during an afternoon debate. A state assembly marriage bill had passed for a third time late last night.

New York would have become the sixth state to have legalized marriage for same-sex couples. In May, Maine governor John Baldacci signed into law a marriage equality bill that was later repealed by voters through Question 1, which passed last month.

In a statement issued directly after the vote, New York City council Speaker Christine Quinn said, “Today the New York state senate rejected an opportunity to declare that all citizens in New York are equal. The depth of sadness that I and many New Yorkers feel today is difficult to express. This is a loss for every family in New York. This is a loss for every lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender New Yorker."

D.C. Council: Yes to Same-Sex Marriage

The Washington, D.C., council has voted 11 to 2 to legalize same-sex marriage in the district.
The council will have to take a second vote in two weeks before the bill goes to Mayor Adrian M. Fenty.

Fenty has previously pledged to sign the bill, after which Congress will have 30 legislative days in which it can intervene before the bill becomes law.

Marion Barry and Yvette Alexander were the only two council members to vote against the bill.

Odds look slim for 2010 Calif. gay marriage vote

The chances of California voters being asked to repeal the state’s ban on same-sex marriages next year are looking more remote after another prominent political group said that more time is needed to build a winning campaign.

Rick Jacobs, founder of the Los Angeles-based Courage Campaign, said Monday that polling and other research his organization commissioned shows that gay marriage supporters do not have the financial backing, leadership or edge in public opinion to try to overturn Proposition 8 in 2010.

The announcement by Jacobs means that a coalition of small gay rights groups that is gathering signatures to qualify a gay marriage measure for the November ballot will be working without support from established organizations.

California Divorce Ban Movement Underway

Til death do us part? The vow would really hold true in California if a Sacramento Web designer gets his way.

In a movement that seems ripped from the pages of Comedy Channel writers, John Marcotte wants to put a measure on the ballot next year to ban divorce in California.

The effort is meant to be a satirical statement after California voters outlawed gay marriage in 2008, largely on the argument that a ban is needed to protect the sanctity of traditional marriage. If that's the case, then Marcotte reasons voters should have no problem banning divorce.

"Since California has decided to protect traditional marriage, I think it would be hypocritical of us not to sacrifice some of our own rights to protect traditional marriage even more," the 38-year-old married father of two said.

Marcotte said he has collected dozens of signatures, including one from his wife of seven years. The initiative's Facebook fans have swelled to more than 11,000. Volunteers that include gay activists and members of a local comedy troupe have signed on to help.

Marcotte is looking into whether he can gather signatures online, as proponents are doing for another proposed 2010 initiative to repeal the gay marriage ban. But the odds are stacked against a campaign funded primarily by the sale of $12 T-shirts featuring bride and groom stick figures chained at the wrists.

Marcotte needs 694,354 valid signatures by March 22, a high hurdle in a state where the typical petition drive costs millions of dollars. Even if his proposed constitutional amendment made next year's ballot, it's not clear how voters would react.

Nationwide, about half of all marriages end in divorce.

Cold virus may have foiled HIV vaccine test

Past exposure to adenovirus caused people to produce more T-cells

The failure of an experimental AIDS vaccine trial two years ago may have been caused by the common cold virus.

The vaccine was intended to block the spread of HIV, which causes AIDS. But the test was canceled after volunteers who got the shots were more likely to become infected than those who got a dummy shot.

The problem, which could hamper efforts to stifle the spread of HIV in Third World countries, may have been using the common adenovirus to carry HIV material around the body to help the immune system recognize the invader. The conclusion comes from researchers reporting in Tuesday's edition of Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

The test vaccine itself did not spread the illness, the team of researchers said.

However, adenovirus — which causes the common cold — is so widespread that many people have previously been exposed to it. The researchers said that prior exposure resulted in mucus membranes producing large numbers of immune cells called CD4 T-cells to fight off the adenovirus. But those are also the cells that HIV infects, providing a ready place for the AIDS virus to grow in people who had received the vaccine and were later exposed to HIV, the researchers said.

"Our research would suggest a cautious approach for the future development of adenovirus vector vaccines for use in areas of high HIV prevalence, or in individuals whose lifestyles meant that they were at higher risk of HIV infection," said Steven Patterson, lead author of the study appearing in Tuesday's edition of Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

Adenovirus also used in other new vaccinesAdenovirus is also used in vaccines for tuberculosis and malaria that are under development, said Patterson, of Imperial College, London. This raises a particularly difficult problem in many areas of the world with a high rate of HIV, and high rates of TB and malaria that will be targeted by vaccines for those diseases, he said.

"If our hypothesis is correct, then the use of an adenovirus vaccine against any disease in an area of high HIV prevalence may increase the risk of HIV infection," he said.

However, Patterson noted in an e-mail, "there are scientists in the HIV vaccine field who do not believe that the adenovirus was the reason for increased number of infections in the vaccinated group."

Dr. Michael Robertson of Merck & Co., Inc., which was conducting the discontinued study, known as Step, welcomed the report as providing "additional insights.

However, "it would be premature to suggest that this provides an explanation for the Step results, and the implications for other vaccines or gene therapy are unclear," Robertson, director of Infectious Diseases/Vaccines Clinical Research at Merck, said through a spokesman.

"The unexpected findings from the Step Study have led to a major reassessment of the entire HIV vaccine field, so any advance is helpful," Robertson said.

Adenovirus is also used in some gene therapy, but Patterson said: "For most individuals undergoing gene therapy I would not expect the use of an adenovirus vector to increase their risk of HIV infection unless their lifestyle rendered them at a higher risk of HIV infection anyway."

Other viruses and bacteria are being studied for use in vaccines, as are different subtypes of adenovirus, he said.

The research was supported by the Coalition for AIDS Vaccine Discovery, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, the Stephens Trust and Chelsea and Westminster Hospital, London.

N.Y. Marriage Vote Imminent?

Hopes for a promised vote on marriage equality in New York were raised Tuesday morning when a Buffalo television station reported that the bill could come to the floor as early as later today. However, by late morning, it appeared that lawmakers and Governor David Paterson remained stuck on the final deficit reduction plan, widely considered a prerequisite to a marriage equality vote.

According to WGZR TV in Buffalo, a spokesperson for Republican state senator Dale Volker said the marriage bill could be voted on Tuesday in the senate.

In response, one gay activist and Democratic insider reached for comment by Advocate.com said there appeared to be an “excellent chance” for a vote on marriage equality later on Tuesday or on Wednesday, given the “fantastic pressure” the legislature is under to tackle the budget issue.
“They are very close on reaching a deal on the deficit reduction plan,” said the insider. “I think the senate strategy would be to immediately bring it up for a vote after the DRP.”

However, according to Elizabeth Benjamin of the New York Daily News, the potential deal on the deficit reduction plan had fallen into “chaos” by Tuesday morning, potentially derailing the marriage equality vote indefinitely.

Marriage advocates in New York maintained their stance of watchful waiting, feeling no more or less on alert than they have since Paterson called the special session of the legislature to begin on November 10.

“I expect they will act quickly after the budget is signed, sealed and delivered,” said Cathy Marino-Thomas, president of the board of Marriage Equality New York. “The question is, when?”

Episcopal Bishop in Mass. Says Priests Can Officiate at Gay Weddings

Bishop M. Thomas Shaw III told priests in his Episcopal diocese in eastern Massachusetts that they may officiate at same-sex marriages:

"The decision is likely to exacerbate tensions in the Episcopal Church and the global denomination to which it belongs, the Anglican Communion, which has faced significant division in the wake of the election of an openly gay priest as bishop of New Hampshire in 2003. 'The time has come,' Shaw said in a telephone interview. 'It’s time for us to offer to gay and lesbian people the same sacrament of fidelity that we offer to the heterosexual world.' Shaw, a longtime supporter of gay rights and same-sex marriage, had previously cited the Episcopal Church’s canons and prayer book in barring local priests from officiating at same-sex marriages, even after such unions became legal in Massachusetts in 2004...Shaw said his diocese includes 'a significant number of gay and lesbian clergy who are in partnerships,' and that 'many of our parishes have significant numbers of gay and lesbian people.' The decision affects only Episcopalians in Eastern Massachusetts. A separate Episcopal diocese in Western Massachusetts has been more conservative on sexuality issues."

New Parasitic Disease Among HIV-infected Gay Men

A rare parasitic disease, which normally only is transmitted by contaminated water, has been shown to be transmitted by gay sex between hiv-positive men. In the industrial world the disease is virtually absent, but from now on that could change. For this observation, Taiwanese researcher Chieng-Ching Hung received a doctorate from the University of Antwerp and the Institute of Tropical Medicine Antwerp.

Amebiasis, an infection with the single-celled amoeba Entamoebia histolytica, normally is very rare. You only catch it in a few developing countries where the amoeba is endemic, and where hygiene is somewhat substandard, leading to contact with contaminated water. It only becomes dangerous when the amoeba invades your intestinal lining and causes a bloody diarrhoea, or when it enters the bloodstream, where it, among other things, causes liver abscesses. All in all amebiasis takes some 70,000 lives a year,

worldwide.For some time now, physicians suspected the disease to be a bit overrepresented among HIV-positive male homosexuals. But it was difficult to come to conclusions from small numbers, and in addition the classical diagnostic test (putting the stool under the microscope) was not really dependable. Hung used modern molecular techniques, pinpointing the amoeba more precisely and, what’s more, showing which amoebas were closely related. In other words: who had got the infection from whom.

In Taiwan, seropositive (hiv-infected) gay men showed to be infected much more often with the amoeba than the healthy population, and also than seropositive heterosexuals. On top of that, Hung found men from different regions nevertheless to be infected by closely related amoebas. The only sensible explanation is that the infection happened through homosexual (oral-anal) contact.

In today’s mobile world this means that those people in turn can transmit the infection to regions where it normally is absent.

In other words: physicians in industrial countries from now on better know who Entamoebia histolytica is, and what it brings about.

Not only amebiasis marches in the wake of HIV; Hung also confirmed in his Taiwanese cohort what is seen elsewhere: tuberculosis and hepatitis B and C are more virulent in combination with HIV, and more often present.

Palin Quits Early — Again

Pulling out prematurely seems to be a pattern with Sarah Palin.

The former vice-presidential candidate, who resigned as governor of Alaska last summer with 18 months to go in her first term, left Thanksgiving Day’s five-kilometer Turkey Trot charity race in Kennewick, Wash., long before she reached the finish line.

Palin was in eastern Washington to visit relatives for Thanksgiving, and her Twitter announcement that she would participate in the race, organized by a local Red Cross chapter to benefit disaster relief, upped the number of spectators at the event. While some of the conservative Republican’s fans got to meet her, word spread about 40 minutes into the race that she had left to avoid crowds at the finish line. Still, organizers said they were grateful for the publicity she brought. “It just blows me away,” Jeanne Jelke, executive director of the Benton-Franklin Chapter of the Red Cross, told the Tri-City Herald.

Palin’s early exit, however, led blogger Wonkette to declare, “Winning stuff, or finishing things? Not for Sarah Palin!” On her visit to Washington State, Palin also told a local television reporter it was “too much work” to cook a turkey for Thanksgiving.

On Sunday, Palin resumed the tour to promote her memoir, Going Rogue, written with Lynn Vincent, who has been linked to antigay causes.

N.J. Bishops: Pray Against Gay Marriage

Catholic bishops in New Jersey instructed priests over the weekend to read and distribute a letter that asked parishioners to pray that state lawmakers do not vote for a marriage equality bill.

The bishops’ letter said that marriage between a man and a woman was under assault by the proposed marriage equality bill, according to Newark's Star-Ledger.

“It says prayer is timely ‘because marriage faces challenges from a society more focused on individual satisfaction than on the Gospel,’” the Star-Ledger reported.

"One of the most serious challenges," said the letter, “is the current effort to pass bills in the New Jersey legislature that would change the very definition of marriage as a union of one man and one woman in order to allow same-sex ‘marriage.’ We must not stand silent in the face of this serious challenge."

State legislators are considering whether to bring the marriage equality bill to a vote during the lame-duck session that began last week. It is unclear whether the bill will come to the floor, with some leaders suggesting they would rather avoid a vote.