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LA Weekly blogs
http://blogs.laweekly.com/informer/queer-town/reed-cowan-mormon-suicide/
'Mormon Proposition' Director Reed Cowan Addresses Rash of Gay Mormon Suicides
By Patrick Range McDonald, Wed., Jul. 21 2010
A 28-year-old gay Mormon took his own life in Utah on July 19, which outrages documentary filmmaker Reed Cowan, who made 8: The Mormon Proposition. On the blogosphere, it's been reported that the young man, Todd Ransom, was interviewed for the film, but Cowan says Ransom signed up for an interview and then inexplicably left before he could appear in front of the camera.
"We don't know why he left," says Cowan, "but we had a lot of people who decided they couldn't go through with it."
Cowan says there's been a "rash" of suicides among gay Mormons in recent weeks.
"In Mormon culture," says Cowan, an ex-Mormon, "when one of these kids commits suicide, you never know at first if he's gay because his sexual orientation won't be in the obituary and families will sweep it under the rug. But you hear from friends that he is gay and that's why he killed himself."
Cowan's documentary, 8:The Mormon Proposition, takes an in-depth look at how the Mormon Church helped pass Proposition 8 in California in 2008, which took away the existing right of gays and lesbians to legally marry in this state.
Proposition 8 has recently been the focus of a federal lawsuit in San Francisco, which seeks to overturn the law. A decision is expected from U.S. District Judge Vaughn Walker sometime soon.
Cowan held a day-long interview session in January, 2009, with gay Mormons in Salt Lake City, Utah, where people off the street could talk about their experiences. Ransom signed up, but left before he could be interviewed, Cowan says.
The filmmaker says there's extraordinary pressure on gay Mormons to conform to the church's teachings.
Once it's been revealed that someone is gay, says Cowan, a person is given three options by church leaders: marry someone of the opposite sex, live a celibate life, or be kicked out of the church.
If someone decides to be true to his or her sexual orientation, says Cowan, church leaders then say that God won't love that person anymore.
"Once you're caught," says Cowan, "you're damned if you do, damned if you don't ... It drives people to suicide."
He adds, "There is a body count to the bigotry. It's real."
Cowan says Ransom's suicide shows that "until the message changes, (gay) people should stop going to the church. It's not healthy for them, so stop going ... It's time for the exodus. Get out. It's a deadly message."
As for other gay Mormons who are contemplating suicide, Cowan says, "Move yourself to safe ground outside of religion...and know that God made you for a reason and loves you."
Contact Patrick Range McDonald at pmcdonald@laweekly.com.
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The Herald
Sierra Vista, Arizona
http://www.svherald.com/content/news/2010/07/24/court-blocks-benefits-ban-gays
Court blocks benefits ban for gays
Sat, 07/24/2010
By Howard Fischer
Capitol Media Services
PHOENIX — Calling it illegal discrimination, a federal judge has blocked the state from canceling insurance benefits for the domestic partners of gay and lesbian state and university employees.
U.S. District Court Judge John Sedwick on Friday rejected arguments by attorneys for the state that there is nothing unfair in the law, approved by legislators last year and signed by Gov. Jan Brewer. They called it a “neutral policy’’ that treats all unmarried employees equally.
Sedwick acknowledged that the provision, tucked into the state budget, is not discriminatory on its face.
But the judge cited the Arizona constitutional amendment that bars same-sex marriages. What that means, Sedwick said, is the state is making benefits for the partners of its employees available “on terms that are a legal impossibility for gay and lesbian couples.’’
“As a result, (the law) denies lesbian and gay state employees in qualifying domestic partnership a valuable form of compensation on the basis of sexual orientation.’’
Sedwick also brushed aside claims by the state that providing benefits to the partners of gay and lesbian employers would mean cuts in other services.
He said evidence shows the cost of providing benefits to partners of gay and lesbian workers is no more than 0.27 percent of total health care spending by the state. And even if cuts had to be made elsewhere, the judge said, that still doesn’t make the law right.
“It is not equitable to lay the burden of the state’s budgetary shortfall on homosexual employees, any more than on any other distinct class, such as employees with green eyes or red hair,’’ he wrote.
The preliminary injunction only applies to unmarried gay and lesbian state workers, which it called “a small fraction” of the 800 employees who receive domestic-partner benefits. The prohibition still takes effect Jan. 1 for heterosexual domestic partners.
Gay & Lesbian Times
San Diego, California
http://www.gaylesbiantimes.com/?id=17062
Do Ask, Do Tell with Joseph Christopher Rocha
by Christina MacNeal, Editor
Published Thursday, 15-Jul-2010 in issue 1177
For those who have not had the privilege of meeting this young man, you are missing out. He has the most charming and genuine nature. Regardless of his age, he has been through more and accomplished more, than most people do over the course of their entire lives. He has shown courage that most of us cannot imagine, and he continues to, as he fights for not only his rights but for the whole GLBT community. This young man served our country with pride and dignity until both were taken away from him while serving in the Middle East. Suspected of being gay, he has been brutally harassed, and what is worse, harassed at the hands of his fellow soldiers. It has been a long path that he never thought he would be walking. Later, a Navy investigation revealed that his superiors committed 93 counts of abuse and 27 violations of the Uniform Code of Military Justice. Under these circumstances Joseph C. Rocha could be a bitter person who not only is discontent with his life but begrudges the Military as a whole. This could not be further from the truth. With a fork in the road in front of him, Joseph C. Rocha decided to turn his tragedy into strength He stands on the frontline fighting for those GLBT who are serving and having to function under the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell Policy.” He stands up for those who cannot stand up for themselves. He has been arrested, he has spoken to any media outlet that will listen and he has spoken on behalf of the HRC, Service Members United and the Service Members Legal Defense Network. Joseph is truly one of the brightest, most honorable and moral persons to walk this earth. Despite his busy schedule, he took the time to speak to us about who he is, where he has been and where we wants to go. This Pride, Joseph is being honored as the Champion of Pride. It is well deserved and we all owe him a big thank you for the work he does to ensure we all have our rights.
GLT: How old are you and where did you grow up?
JCR: All over California and I am 24.
GLT: What was it like for you being in the Navy and also being a gay man?
JCR: It was a lot like, hmm… the level of secrecy and duality makes it very difficult. I have so much love and passion for my service. Once I deployed it was even more difficult. When I went to a smaller unit it was twice as difficult. I think the hardest part about being a GLBT person and in the military is that you are denied the things that most other people who serve and are straight take for granted. You are already in a stressful situation, and then not to be able to talk, get letters from friends or the person you love is really hard. The GLBT people that serve our country cannot have relationships with friends and family in the same way their heterosexual counterparts do. They also really cannot be friends with those they serve with, outside of work. So, you end up feeling like you are denying yourself and who you are. You have to hide who you are.
GLT: Where are you most likely to be seen in San Diego?
JCR: The USD library or Mission Beach where I live.
GLT: Do you have a boyfriend?
JCR: No.
GLT: How did the Military react when you came out?
JCR: There was 28 months of documented abuse. I didn’t say that I was gay. It was assumed and that was proof enough. When I had decided to be openly gay I was still asked, in writing, back to the Naval Academy, as long as I retracted my prior statements and declared that I was not gay. It was then that I realized that they had little to offer me. It was the hardest decision that I had to make, and the saddest moment in my life. Even though I was good enough to be asked back to the Academy, and that I had all the skills required, and even though I was sacrificing my life, it did not matter because I was gay and unwilling to deny who I was.
GLT: Without sounding too intrusive, what did you go through while serving and how were you brutally harassed?
JCR: Sure. I was hosed down and tied to chairs. I was force fed dog food. I was left in a dog kennel full of feces, with military dogs. I have been hog tied. I was forced to simulate gay sex on camera along with other forms of humiliation for 28 months, while I was serving in the Middle East. The level of isolation I felt without my loved ones or the freedom to write and talk with people on the phone, like the other service members, made it even worse.
GLT: Can you say who was in charge of letting others do this to you?
JCR: Yes. It was my Senior Chief Toussaint. Along with those who were serving with me.
GLT: What were the repercussions or punishment he faced for letting this go on?
JCR: Five years later the Chief responsible was forced to retire. However, he kept his rank as Chief and retirement pay.
GLT: How do you feel about that?
JCR: I worry that it sets an example. Not only to gay and lesbians but to straight service members as well, and it sets a dangerous precedent. It says we don’t take it that seriously. It sends no warning to others who might be doing the same things that were done to me.
GLT: How has this changed your perspective on the Navy and Armed Forces?
JCR: Honestly, it hasn’t. I regret that I have had to go through what I have gone through. All I care about is repealing the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy, and when that happens, serve my country in the honorable way that I should have been allowed to do in the first place.
GLT: What was the turning point that made you decide to come out as gay?
JCR: It was the compounded and extensive abuse that I received without any proof of even being homosexual. I was straight acting and faithful to the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy. So after all this I am dedicated to repealing “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” so that any man or women who wants to serve in uniform can, without going through what I have.
GLT: Was there ever a point where you were scared for your life?
JCR: When I was in the Middle East, I was confident that I wouldn’t be coming back. It seemed really real and scary to me when the person I was closest to in my unit killed herself. It was the lowest point for me. I was really afraid that this would never reach a resolution. I also felt helpless, considering how far I was from the U.S. It was hard to accept that this was happening from U.S. soldiers and that there was a policy in place to uphold it.
GLT: If I am correct, the Navy wanted you to stay in the U.S. Naval Academy on exemplary qualifications. What were those qualifications?
JCR: They told me basically that I was beyond good enough. However, they had to pretend that I was not gay. They were willing to ignore the Federal law.
GLT: Did you choose an honorable discharge?
JCR: I did not choose or have a choice. That was up to them. I was really worried though, because if they had chosen dishonorable I would have lost all my entitlements, like education, health benefits and VA access. That was at their discretion.
GLT: I know you are you in college. What are you studying and where do you go?
JCR: I go to USD and I am studying Poly Science and Philosophy. However, in the long term I would like to go back into the service in 2011, if the policy is overturned.
GLT: What is your plan if in 2011 the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy is not overturned?
JCR: I would advocate for the repeal and law school, I would continue to work like I have done for the last year to make sure that it happens.
GLT: What type of work have you accomplished this last year to ensure “ Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” is repealed?
JCR: I have testified on the San Diego City Council to push a resolution that would put the City of San Diego on record as not supporting “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell”. It was also sent to Obama and Congress, and that passed in San Diego. Senator Kehoe sent a state wide resolution to have “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” repealed and I testified for that as well. I have also worked with media outlets such as The Washington Post, Huffington Post, NPR, CNN and Telemundo. Currently, I am participating in the Federal court case on “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” as well.
GLT: What does your family think about “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” and are you out to them?
JCR: My family has come a long way. In High School they rejected me and when I was in the Middle East they warmed up to me. They have come full circle and can see the valor our community has.
Joseph, we at The Gay & Lesbian Times thank you for sharing your story with us and your community. Thank you for all the hard work you do to ensure that we are closer to having equal rights.
San Francisco Chronicle
Gay and transgender Lutheran pastors reinstated
Alejandro Martínez-Cabrera, Chronicle Staff Writer
Monday, July 26, 2010
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2010/07/26/BAAE1EJRB7.DTL
Seven Bay Area gay and transgender pastors were reinstated into the national Lutheran church on Sunday after being barred for two decades from serving in the denomination.
It was a day of mixed feelings for the "Bay Area Seven" - the Revs. Jeff Johnson, Megan Rohrer, Paul Brenner, Craig Minich, Dawn Roginski Sharon Stalkfleet and Ross Merkel - who saw the event as an act of reconciliation with the church that once shunned them.
"We finally got to the direction we knew the Lutheran church was heading. It just took it longer to get there," Johnson said.
The pastors were welcomed almost a year after the national assembly of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America - the largest Lutheran denomination in the country - voted to allow gay men and women, with partners, to serve as clergy members, making it the latest Protestant church to allow such ordinations.
Gay men and women were previously allowed to become Lutheran pastors but had to take a vow of celibacy. Some within the church saw the rule as discriminatory, and in 1990 two San Francisco churches, First United and St. Francis, defied the policy by ordaining Johnson, a gay man, and a lesbian couple.
As a result, the two churches were expelled from the denomination. In the last 20 years, more than a dozen pastors nationwide were ordained in defiance of the church, three removed by trial and many denied the possibility to serve.
It was "a policy that ruined lives, destroyed faiths," Johnson said.
Rohrer, who serves in four churches and as a missionary for the homeless, said she did not feel Sunday was the day she became a pastor, but the day "the church gets to receive me as a pastor."
In an extension of that spirit of reconciliation, on Sunday the St. Francis congregation also overwhelmingly voted to return to the national Lutheran church.
"It's like an individual who was separated from his family after his mother kicked him out," said the Rev. Robert Johnson, head pastor at St. Francis. "The mother church has come around and said 'you were right.' "
E-mail Alejandro Martínez-Cabrera at amartinez-cabrera@sfchronicle.com
http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2010/07/26/BAAE1EJRB7.DTL
This article appeared on page C - 1 of the San Francisco Chronicle
Chart: Gay Marriage Support in the Americas
http://www.towleroad.com/2010/07/chart-gay-marriage-support-in-the-americas.html
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On Top Magazine
http://www.ontopmag.com/article.aspx?id=6031&MediaType=1&Category=24
Catholic Church In Argentina Rallies Against Gay Marriage
By On Top Magazine Staff Published: July 13, 2010
The Roman Catholic Church in Argentina is rallying its faithful to demonstrate before Congress against a gay marriage bill as senators prepare to consider the legislation, the AFA reported.
The Senate is expected to vote Wednesday on a gay marriage bill approved in May by the country's lower house, the Chamber of Deputies (la Camara de Diputados). The Senate General Law committee, however, has recommended the Senate take up a bill that recognizes gay couples with civil unions but does not allow for adoption, and reject the marriage bill.
In calling on Catholics to attend Tuesday's protest, Buenos Aires Archbishop Jorge Bergoglio warned that the legalization of gay marriage is being driven by the devil.
“Let's not be naïve, we're not talking about a simple political battle; it is a destructive pretension against the plan of God,” Cardinal Jorge Bergoglio wrote in a letter calling on followers to join an anti-gay marriage rally in the nation's capital.
“We are not talking about a mere bill, but rather a move by the Father of Lies which aims to confuse and deceive the children of God.”
President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner, who supports the legislation, said the church's tone was reminiscent of “medieval times and the Inquisition” .
“It is disturbing to hear phrases like war of God or the devil's projects, which are things that take us back to medieval times and the Inquisition,” Kirchner told the Argentine press during an official visit to China.
Ninety-one percent of Argentinians say they are members of the Catholic Church.
The church is promoting the demonstration with the theme “We want a mommy and a daddy.” A reference to the fact that the bill would allow married gay couples to adopt children.
The measure enters the final round of voting with a sight lead, 32 senators in favor and 30 against. But 10 senators remain undecided and many have said they'll back the civil unions bill.
The president of the National Institute against Discrimination, Xenophobia and Racism (INADI), Claudio Morgado, said the civil unions bill “has the same construct as apartheid” and if approved would discriminate against gay couples who would be given an inferior legal status to heterosexual couples.
If approved, Argentina would become the first Latin American country to legalize gay marriage. The institution is also legal in Mexico City, but the federal government is challenging the law in court.
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Comment received from a friend --
I cannot imagine any high US government official speaking so truthfully and openly as President Cristina Fernandez of Argentina.
Gay & Lesbian Times
San Diego, California
http://www.gaylesbiantimes.com/?id=17104
Creep of the Week
National Organization for Marriage
by D’Anne Witkowski
Published Thursday, 22-Jul-2010 in issue 1178
If you’ve been hearing air raid sirens ever since July 8, they’re likely coming from National Organization for Marriage HQ where everybody is freaking out about the Defense of Marriage Act being ruled unconstitutional by a federal judge.
“As irrational prejudice plainly never constitutes a legitimate government interest, this court must hold that Section 3 of DOMA as applied to Plaintiffs violates the equal protection principles embodied in the Fifth Amendment to the United States Constitution,” declared U.S. District Judge Joseph Tauro.
Obviously, Tauro hates marriage and wants to ruin it for everybody, but the bigger issue for anti-gay marriage foes is the fact that the case was lost in the first place. After all, the case in favor of DOMA was argued by the Department of Justice. Yes, Obama’s DOJ, which, not incidentally, includes Solicitor General Elena Kagan. You know, the Supreme Court nominee? Hoo boy, if you thought anti-gay conservatives opposed her before this ruling, you ain’t seen nothin’ yet.
This all means, of course, that the Obama administration intentionally lost the case in order to make everyone in the country get gay-married. Besides, everyone knows that Obama is only in office to serve the radical “homosexual agenda.”
At least that’s how the folks at the National Organization for Marriage see things.
“Under the guidance of Elena Kagan’s brief that she filed when she was solicitor general, Obama’s justice department deliberately sabotaged this case,” shrieked NOM President Brian Brown.
That’s right: sabotage. Why, Kagan might as well be a Russian spy. And how did she sabotage it? By including in the DOJ briefs that “this Administration does not support DOMA as a matter of policy, believes that it is discriminatory and supports its repeal.” Oh, snap!
The way NOM sees it, poor little DOMA was all alone with nobody to protect it.
“Only an incompetent defense could have lost this case,” said NOM’s Maggie Gallagher.
“With only Obama to defend DOMA, this federal judge has taken the extraordinary step of overturning a law passed by huge bipartisan majorities and signed into law by Pres. Clinton in 1996,” Brown lamented. “A single federal judge in Boston has no moral right to decide the definition of marriage for the people of the United States.”
Last time I checked, law wasn’t based on Brown’s definition of morality, but hey, I’m not a legal scholar. Also, quit acting like Bill Clinton is your BFF.
And need I mention that 1996 was 14 years ago? That’s ages in the fight for lesbian and gay rights. We’ve come a long way, baby. Fewer and fewer people hate gays because they recognize that gay folks are human beings. Which means it’s harder for groups like NOM to make convincing arguments that homos are coming after marriage on a search-and-destroy mission.
In fact, it appears to be the other way around. “Does this federal judge want to start another culture war?” threatened Gallagher. “Does he really want another Roe. v. Wade?”
She’s right, of course. The whole “gay marriage” thing hasn’t ever been a controversial issue until this ruling. Besides, as Gallagher helpfully points out, judges should make rulings solely to pacify right-wingers who want the right to dictate the personal lives of others in the name of Jesus.
Gallagher vowed that NOM will prevail in higher courts. We’ll see. One thing is for certain: this fight isn’t even close to over.
D’Anne Witkowski has been gay for pay since 2003. She’s a freelance writer and poet (believe it!). When she’s not taking on the creeps of the world she reviews rock ‘n’ roll shows in Detroit with her twin sister.
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San Francisco Chronicle
Palm Springs cops feel heat over gay sex sting
Hank Plante
Sunday, July 18, 2010
Palm Springs has been a welcoming oasis for gays and lesbians ever since the days of Rock Hudson and Tab Hunter.
But new frictions have arisen between the city's Police Department and its sizable gay population - estimated to be as high as 30 to 40 percent - over a police sting of gay public sex.
Last summer, Palm Springs police used undercover officers to arrest 24 men in a gay neighborhood for allegedly trying to engage the officers in sex. While few in the gay community defend anyone having public sex - whether gay or straight - the anger is over the unusual charges in the case: The men are charged under Section 290(c) of the California Penal Code, making those who are convicted register as sex offenders for life, their names added to a police database.
That charge is essentially a life sentence, defense lawyers say, and has never been used against straight couples arrested for similar activity in Palm Springs.
Adding fuel to the community anger is surveillance tape shot inside a patrol car during the sting. One officer can be heard using an anti-gay slur, while another officer laughs. All of this flies in the face of city's reputation as a welcoming place for gays, says longtime gay rights pioneer Cleve Jones, who relocated to Palm Springs from San Francisco 10 years ago.
"They're really shooting themselves in the foot," Jones says. "Gay dollars are keeping this city afloat. Let's get real. The gay events are the largest events in the valley. The gay tourist dollar is crucial to the economic survival of Palm Springs. And this story has spread far and wide across the world, and it will have an impact because people are angry. It's ridiculous."
The new scrutiny of the Palm Springs Police Department also reveals that there isn't a single openly gay male police officer among the 99 officers on the force (there is only one open lesbian), despite the city's reputation as a gay mecca. Reacting to anger in the gay community, the Palm Springs police chief now finds himself in the position of damage control. Last week, he met with gay leaders, and he brought in an openly gay Los Angeles sheriff's sergeant to help conduct sensitivity training on lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender issues in the Palm Springs force.
The training comes as welcome news to Andy Linsky, a prominent gay rights activist and a member of the LGBT Police Outreach Committee. "It's definitely necessary because if they've done it before, then it hasn't necessarily taken root. So it's good they're doing it again," Linsky says, noting that he speaks for himself, not the board.
But another member of the police advisory board, Thomas Van Etten, is calling for the chief's ouster.
"I've called for his resignation because the police chief is using tactics that we have not seen since Stonewall. For the Palm Springs police to pull something like this is incomprehensible," he said.
The chief is also reaching out to several LGBT publications to stress that the police do not discriminate against gays.
Discrimination, however, is the basis of the defense's case, because straight couples arrested in similar cases have never been charged as lifelong sex offenders, says attorney Roger Tansey, who is representing several of the men arrested.
He maintains that it was the police who instigated any encounters in the sting.
"A typical scenario," Tansey says, "would be a couple of cops, who were dressed in tank tops, would walk around grabbing their crotches and staring at the defendants' crotches saying, 'Show me what you got. Show me what you got.' In no case did they come upon any man already having sex." Tansey adds that "in many cases the defendants were reluctant to participate and wanted to go back to a room or someplace more private and were coaxed to stay and allegedly expose themselves by the officers."
The economic fallout on the city is not lost on City Manager David Ready, who says, "Palm Springs is very concerned and spends a significant amount of resources on tourism as our driving economic factor. So anything that affects tourism is of great concern to the city. That being said, the chief is doing his internal review of this sting operation, and he will be making recommendations on our policy going forward."
The chief will make those recommendations this month to the City Council, three members of which are openly gay, as repercussions from the sting make this desert summer even hotter.
Hank Plante is an Emmy Award-winning political reporter who has spent three decades covering politics for TV stations in San Francisco and Los Angeles. He lives in Palm Springs. To comment, contact us via our online form at sfgate.com/chronicle/submissions/#1.
http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2010/07/18/IN5J1EDCEL.DTL
This article appeared on page E - 3 of the San Francisco Chronicle
Doctor Treating Pregnant Women With Experimental Drug To Prevent Lesbianism
Posted by Dan Savage on Wed, Jun 30, 2010 at 9:05 AM
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Mexico City Promises a Free Honeymoon to Argentina's First Married Gay Couple
Offer Intended to Advertise Gay-Friendly Tourism
By SARA MILLER LLANA
Staff Writer, The Christian Science Monitor
MEXICO CITY, July 15, 2010
http://abcnews.go.com/Travel/mexico-city-offers-free-honeymoon-married-gay-couple/story?id=11177837
Mexico City has promised a free honeymoon in this megapolis for the first same-sex couple that marries in Argentina.