Saturday, November 04, 2006
This week we will go to the polls and cast our vote for leaders and policies that will affect our communities and nation. What are three values - as opposed to partisan issues - that will influence how you vote? Who do you represent with your vote - yourself and your family only? Or do you also vote based on the needs of the poor and disadvantaged in your community? In what ways can we hold our political leaders accountable to work for justice and peace and to serve on behalf of the poorest?
Thursday, November 02, 2006
Liberal Christian group puts faith to work
By Janet I. Tu - Seattle Times Thursday, November 02, 2006 - Web Link
November 2, 2006
The war in Iraq. American children living in poverty. Environmental challenges.
Saying it's time for people of faith to act on these issues, about 150 local religious leaders and laypeople held a news conference and marched to the Henry M. Jackson Federal Building in downtown Seattle on Wednesday to announce the launch of a Christian network, Kairos.
Kairos, from a Greek word meaning "a critical time," was started primarily by local Lutherans and other mainline liberal Protestants. They hope it will become a national grass-roots movement that will get people of faith to speak out and change U.S. policies they don't like.
"The Kairos community represents an alternative Christian voice that is widely heard in our churches" but not outside them, said the Rev. Mia Baumgartner, executive director of Immanuel Community Services in Seattle.
Kairos is one of several groups on the religious left that have formed locally to counter the voice of the religious right. Two others, Faith Forward and Faith Media Democracy, formed in the past two years.
David Domke, local author of the book "God Willing? Political Fundamentalism in the White House, the 'War on Terror,' and the Echoing Press," said that nationally, progressives believe they need to speak out more about how faith informs their practices. While the sentiment also has gained traction here, he said, "I don't think a unified message has emerged yet."
By Janet I. Tu - Seattle Times Thursday, November 02, 2006 - Web Link
November 2, 2006
The war in Iraq. American children living in poverty. Environmental challenges.
Saying it's time for people of faith to act on these issues, about 150 local religious leaders and laypeople held a news conference and marched to the Henry M. Jackson Federal Building in downtown Seattle on Wednesday to announce the launch of a Christian network, Kairos.
Kairos, from a Greek word meaning "a critical time," was started primarily by local Lutherans and other mainline liberal Protestants. They hope it will become a national grass-roots movement that will get people of faith to speak out and change U.S. policies they don't like.
"The Kairos community represents an alternative Christian voice that is widely heard in our churches" but not outside them, said the Rev. Mia Baumgartner, executive director of Immanuel Community Services in Seattle.
Kairos is one of several groups on the religious left that have formed locally to counter the voice of the religious right. Two others, Faith Forward and Faith Media Democracy, formed in the past two years.
David Domke, local author of the book "God Willing? Political Fundamentalism in the White House, the 'War on Terror,' and the Echoing Press," said that nationally, progressives believe they need to speak out more about how faith informs their practices. While the sentiment also has gained traction here, he said, "I don't think a unified message has emerged yet."
NAACP Leader Denounces Anti-Gay Amendment
by 365Gay.com Newscenter Staff
November 1, 2006 - 1:00 pm ET
(Richmond, Virginia) National NAACP chair Julian Bond has joined the growing number of notables opposing amending the Virginia constitution to ban same-sex marriage.
The measure also would nix civil unions and likely void domestic partner benefits in the state.
"I'd always thought Virginia was for lovers, not against them," Bond told a forum at the University of Virginia where he is a professor. "We believe it is always wrong to use a constitution to single out one group for discrimination."
The forum was sponsored by the Office of African-American Affairs and the LGBT Resource Center of the Office of Student Life.
It was the first time the two had co-sponsored an event and for Bond it was an opportunity to draw the connection between LGBT and African American civil rights.
"Marriage is a civil right," he said. "If you don't want gay people to marry in your church, good for you. But you can't say they can't marry in your city."
A Mason-Dixon poll taken in the summer showed that 54 percent support the amendment while 40 percent said they would vote against it. But a Washington Post poll last month showed that the margin of support for the amendment shrinks when people learn the wide implications beyond marriage that the amendment would have. (story)
Asked if they would support an amendment barring same-sex marriage 53 percent of voters said yes and 43 percent said they would oppose it. But, when respondents to the survey were read the arguments made by groups fighting the amendment - that it would block civil unions and likely void domestic partner benefits for same and opposite-sex couples the gap narrowed to a virtual tie the Post found.
Forty-eight percent said they would still support the measure and 47 percent opposed it. The numbers fall well within the poll's margin of error of three percentage points.
The survey also found that Virginians are virtually split on whether gay couples should be able to form civil unions and whether they should be allowed to have benefits such as health insurance and inheritance and other legal rights similar to those of married couples.
Supporters of the amendment have been targeting African American churches for support in passing the amendment.
Bond is a longtime supporter of LGBT rights. This weekend he will receive the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force will present its National Leadership Award at a ceremony in Miami.
The number of well known Virginians opposing the amendment because of its breadth - it would affect all non married couples - is growing. Last week Gov. Tim Kaine became the 200th noted attorney to sign a statement opposing the proposed amendment. (story)
Business groups and several chambers of commerce, mainly in more liberal northern Virginia have also voiced their opposition, saying the amendment would impede companies from attracting the best workers.
Earlier this week the Virginia Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics announced its opposition to the amendment.
In a statement the academy said the amendment would create two classes of children and that children raised in gay households would especially suffer because the law would only recognize a birth or adoptive parent. If something happened to that parent, the other person in the relationship would have no rights to the child.
©365Gay.com 2006
by 365Gay.com Newscenter Staff
November 1, 2006 - 1:00 pm ET
(Richmond, Virginia) National NAACP chair Julian Bond has joined the growing number of notables opposing amending the Virginia constitution to ban same-sex marriage.
The measure also would nix civil unions and likely void domestic partner benefits in the state.
"I'd always thought Virginia was for lovers, not against them," Bond told a forum at the University of Virginia where he is a professor. "We believe it is always wrong to use a constitution to single out one group for discrimination."
The forum was sponsored by the Office of African-American Affairs and the LGBT Resource Center of the Office of Student Life.
It was the first time the two had co-sponsored an event and for Bond it was an opportunity to draw the connection between LGBT and African American civil rights.
"Marriage is a civil right," he said. "If you don't want gay people to marry in your church, good for you. But you can't say they can't marry in your city."
A Mason-Dixon poll taken in the summer showed that 54 percent support the amendment while 40 percent said they would vote against it. But a Washington Post poll last month showed that the margin of support for the amendment shrinks when people learn the wide implications beyond marriage that the amendment would have. (story)
Asked if they would support an amendment barring same-sex marriage 53 percent of voters said yes and 43 percent said they would oppose it. But, when respondents to the survey were read the arguments made by groups fighting the amendment - that it would block civil unions and likely void domestic partner benefits for same and opposite-sex couples the gap narrowed to a virtual tie the Post found.
Forty-eight percent said they would still support the measure and 47 percent opposed it. The numbers fall well within the poll's margin of error of three percentage points.
The survey also found that Virginians are virtually split on whether gay couples should be able to form civil unions and whether they should be allowed to have benefits such as health insurance and inheritance and other legal rights similar to those of married couples.
Supporters of the amendment have been targeting African American churches for support in passing the amendment.
Bond is a longtime supporter of LGBT rights. This weekend he will receive the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force will present its National Leadership Award at a ceremony in Miami.
The number of well known Virginians opposing the amendment because of its breadth - it would affect all non married couples - is growing. Last week Gov. Tim Kaine became the 200th noted attorney to sign a statement opposing the proposed amendment. (story)
Business groups and several chambers of commerce, mainly in more liberal northern Virginia have also voiced their opposition, saying the amendment would impede companies from attracting the best workers.
Earlier this week the Virginia Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics announced its opposition to the amendment.
In a statement the academy said the amendment would create two classes of children and that children raised in gay households would especially suffer because the law would only recognize a birth or adoptive parent. If something happened to that parent, the other person in the relationship would have no rights to the child.
©365Gay.com 2006
Tuesday, October 31, 2006
Gay Cruises Are on the Seas and in the Mainstream
By MICHELLE HIGGINS
Published: October 29, 2006
NEXT Memorial Day weekend, Cunard’s behemoth liner the Queen Mary 2 will depart for a routine six-day Atlantic crossing from New York to Southampton, England, with the usual white-glove service, decadent cuisine and formal evening wear after sundown. The difference this time: practically all the guests aboard the 2,592-passenger cruise will be gay. It’s a first for Cunard. The line signed a deal earlier this year with RSVP Vacations, a gay travel company that has chartered the ship. The agreement is one sign among many of gay cruises’ progression into the mainstream of cruise travel.
Most gay-cruise operators run charter businesses, paying cruise lines to use their ships and crews. In the early days of gay cruises, about 20 years ago, that often meant working with little-known lines or securing second-tier ships. Itineraries often included just a handful of gay-friendly destinations. But as the overall rate in the growth of passengers and spending has slowed in recent years, the cruise industry has become keenly aware of the gay travel market, estimated at $55 billion and growing.
Gay travelers tend to take trips more often, stay longer and spend more than other travelers, according to a survey by Community Marketing Inc., a research firm specializing in the gay travel market.
Gay travelers took a median of five overnight trips in the last 12 months ending in August 2006, compared with four trips for Americans in general, and spent a median of $6,273 in travel expenses, compared with roughly $3,000 for all travelers.
To get a piece of that lucrative market, cruise companies that “really hadn’t thought much about the gay and lesbian market” are now “actively recruiting and soliciting our business,” said Jeff Soukup, chief executive of RSVP Vacations. It’s now common for all-gay cruises to sail to the same ports popular with most cruisers, often on the same popular ships. For the coming season, RSVP (which was acquired in March by PlanetOut Inc., a media and entertainment company that caters to gay audiences) has chartered major cruise companies’ flagship vessels, including the Amsterdam of the Holland America Line and the Caribbean Princess of Princess Cruises, as well as the Queen Mary 2.
Atlantis Events, which operates tours for gay travelers, has charted Royal Caribbean’s newest vessel, Freedom of the Seas — at a capacity of 3,634 passengers it is even bigger than the Queen Mary 2 — for a weeklong Caribbean sailing in January; it is already sold out. And Olivia, a lesbian travel company, is offering cruise itineraries this winter to a range of destinations, both common and exotic, including the Galápagos, Antarctica, Tahiti, Alaska and Amsterdam.
All of this means more options for travelers. Pat Funk, 53, a real estate broker from Cannon Beach, Ore., has been going on Olivia cruises since she met her partner, Dale Shafer, on one 10 years ago. Back then, she said, the ships were older and there weren’t as many offerings, but each year since, “they do more exotic or upscale trips.” This season, the couple plans to go the Galápagos, Antarctica and Amsterdam.
Gay travelers are interested in the same destinations as any others, said Amy Errett, the chief executive of Olivia, but they want to see those places “in community and in sort of a safe environment.”
Olivia inspects each ship and itinerary, sending staff members to visit ports and try out land excursions before booking any charter. It briefs crews on what to expect of a ship full of women — they tend to use lots of towels, for instance — and often takes aboard entertainers who appeal to lesbian audiences. This March, Melissa Etheridge will join Olivia’s weeklong Caribbean sailing.
Extra onboard parties and entertainers tend to push the price of all-gay cruises slightly above other cruise prices. For example, starting prices for indoor cabins on Princess Cruises’ weeklong October Mexican Riviera cruise were listed from $649 on www.princess.com earlier this month. RSVP Vacations was offering a similar October Mexican Riviera cruise on the same ship, but with a host of singers, D.J.’s and comedians, starting at $795 for early bookers.
There are still destinations that gay cruises avoid; one is Jamaica, where two gay-rights activists have been murdered in the last two years. But other destinations are becoming more welcoming. In 2004, Sandals Resorts rescinded its ban on gay couples at its all-inclusive properties. And while a gay cruise charted by Atlantis Events was turned away from the Cayman Islands in 1997, this year 3,200 passengers on a similar cruise by the same company were greeted in the Caymans with rainbow-patterned welcome signs in some shop windows.
A larger, more open presence of gay passengers is also showing itself on cruises not pitched to gay travelers. The New York-based Pied Piper Travel, which caters to gay groups, booked about 430 gay passengers to the Caribbean the week after Thanksgiving last year — the company’s most popular trip. This year, 600 gay travelers have already signed up for the same cruise, filling nearly a quarter of the ship, Royal Caribbean’s Radiance of the Seas.
And conventional cruise lines have begun to offer welcome parties for gay travelers, dubbed Friends of Dorothy — a slang term used among some gays to describe themselves.
Fellow passengers aren’t always as friendly. Online postings in the Gay and Lesbian Cruisers forum at Cruisecritic.com describe experiences ranging from easy mixing with other passengers to homophobic incidents. A Seabourn passenger using the screen name inthesurf said in a February 2006 posting that at an on-deck barbecue, a passenger hurled gay slurs and a glass of water at her and her partner. “We were horrified, and reduced to tears in front of Seabourn staff and passengers,” she wrote.
Cruise lines and gay travelers alike, however, say that incidents like this are rare. And as gay cruises continue to join the mainstream, more mixing leads to even more openness.
In fact, gay cruises have become so popular that a reverse phenomenon is starting to emerge. “We’re finding a lot of gay travelers have straight friends who want to be a part of this,” said Tom de Rose, owner of Friends of Dorothy Travel in San Francisco. Because of this, he said, gay cruises are increasingly becoming “straight-friendly.”
Paul Ortega, 44, a landscape designer, from Palm Springs, Calif., has been going on gay cruises for 12 years. In the early days, he said, “there might have been a handful of straight people,” while now it’s much more common to meet straight passengers aboard the ship who are traveling with gay family or friends, as well as women and older passengers. “The demographic has changed.”
By MICHELLE HIGGINS
Published: October 29, 2006
NEXT Memorial Day weekend, Cunard’s behemoth liner the Queen Mary 2 will depart for a routine six-day Atlantic crossing from New York to Southampton, England, with the usual white-glove service, decadent cuisine and formal evening wear after sundown. The difference this time: practically all the guests aboard the 2,592-passenger cruise will be gay. It’s a first for Cunard. The line signed a deal earlier this year with RSVP Vacations, a gay travel company that has chartered the ship. The agreement is one sign among many of gay cruises’ progression into the mainstream of cruise travel.
Most gay-cruise operators run charter businesses, paying cruise lines to use their ships and crews. In the early days of gay cruises, about 20 years ago, that often meant working with little-known lines or securing second-tier ships. Itineraries often included just a handful of gay-friendly destinations. But as the overall rate in the growth of passengers and spending has slowed in recent years, the cruise industry has become keenly aware of the gay travel market, estimated at $55 billion and growing.
Gay travelers tend to take trips more often, stay longer and spend more than other travelers, according to a survey by Community Marketing Inc., a research firm specializing in the gay travel market.
Gay travelers took a median of five overnight trips in the last 12 months ending in August 2006, compared with four trips for Americans in general, and spent a median of $6,273 in travel expenses, compared with roughly $3,000 for all travelers.
To get a piece of that lucrative market, cruise companies that “really hadn’t thought much about the gay and lesbian market” are now “actively recruiting and soliciting our business,” said Jeff Soukup, chief executive of RSVP Vacations. It’s now common for all-gay cruises to sail to the same ports popular with most cruisers, often on the same popular ships. For the coming season, RSVP (which was acquired in March by PlanetOut Inc., a media and entertainment company that caters to gay audiences) has chartered major cruise companies’ flagship vessels, including the Amsterdam of the Holland America Line and the Caribbean Princess of Princess Cruises, as well as the Queen Mary 2.
Atlantis Events, which operates tours for gay travelers, has charted Royal Caribbean’s newest vessel, Freedom of the Seas — at a capacity of 3,634 passengers it is even bigger than the Queen Mary 2 — for a weeklong Caribbean sailing in January; it is already sold out. And Olivia, a lesbian travel company, is offering cruise itineraries this winter to a range of destinations, both common and exotic, including the Galápagos, Antarctica, Tahiti, Alaska and Amsterdam.
All of this means more options for travelers. Pat Funk, 53, a real estate broker from Cannon Beach, Ore., has been going on Olivia cruises since she met her partner, Dale Shafer, on one 10 years ago. Back then, she said, the ships were older and there weren’t as many offerings, but each year since, “they do more exotic or upscale trips.” This season, the couple plans to go the Galápagos, Antarctica and Amsterdam.
Gay travelers are interested in the same destinations as any others, said Amy Errett, the chief executive of Olivia, but they want to see those places “in community and in sort of a safe environment.”
Olivia inspects each ship and itinerary, sending staff members to visit ports and try out land excursions before booking any charter. It briefs crews on what to expect of a ship full of women — they tend to use lots of towels, for instance — and often takes aboard entertainers who appeal to lesbian audiences. This March, Melissa Etheridge will join Olivia’s weeklong Caribbean sailing.
Extra onboard parties and entertainers tend to push the price of all-gay cruises slightly above other cruise prices. For example, starting prices for indoor cabins on Princess Cruises’ weeklong October Mexican Riviera cruise were listed from $649 on www.princess.com earlier this month. RSVP Vacations was offering a similar October Mexican Riviera cruise on the same ship, but with a host of singers, D.J.’s and comedians, starting at $795 for early bookers.
There are still destinations that gay cruises avoid; one is Jamaica, where two gay-rights activists have been murdered in the last two years. But other destinations are becoming more welcoming. In 2004, Sandals Resorts rescinded its ban on gay couples at its all-inclusive properties. And while a gay cruise charted by Atlantis Events was turned away from the Cayman Islands in 1997, this year 3,200 passengers on a similar cruise by the same company were greeted in the Caymans with rainbow-patterned welcome signs in some shop windows.
A larger, more open presence of gay passengers is also showing itself on cruises not pitched to gay travelers. The New York-based Pied Piper Travel, which caters to gay groups, booked about 430 gay passengers to the Caribbean the week after Thanksgiving last year — the company’s most popular trip. This year, 600 gay travelers have already signed up for the same cruise, filling nearly a quarter of the ship, Royal Caribbean’s Radiance of the Seas.
And conventional cruise lines have begun to offer welcome parties for gay travelers, dubbed Friends of Dorothy — a slang term used among some gays to describe themselves.
Fellow passengers aren’t always as friendly. Online postings in the Gay and Lesbian Cruisers forum at Cruisecritic.com describe experiences ranging from easy mixing with other passengers to homophobic incidents. A Seabourn passenger using the screen name inthesurf said in a February 2006 posting that at an on-deck barbecue, a passenger hurled gay slurs and a glass of water at her and her partner. “We were horrified, and reduced to tears in front of Seabourn staff and passengers,” she wrote.
Cruise lines and gay travelers alike, however, say that incidents like this are rare. And as gay cruises continue to join the mainstream, more mixing leads to even more openness.
In fact, gay cruises have become so popular that a reverse phenomenon is starting to emerge. “We’re finding a lot of gay travelers have straight friends who want to be a part of this,” said Tom de Rose, owner of Friends of Dorothy Travel in San Francisco. Because of this, he said, gay cruises are increasingly becoming “straight-friendly.”
Paul Ortega, 44, a landscape designer, from Palm Springs, Calif., has been going on gay cruises for 12 years. In the early days, he said, “there might have been a handful of straight people,” while now it’s much more common to meet straight passengers aboard the ship who are traveling with gay family or friends, as well as women and older passengers. “The demographic has changed.”
Mainstream media avoids Crist gay angle Local editors and journalism experts disagree on ethics of story
By PHIL LAPADULA Friday, October 27, 2006
It may be the loudest “whisper campaign” in Florida history. The internet blogs have been blazing for months with unverified rumors that Charlie Crist, the state’s attorney general and Republican candidate for governor, is gay.
Crist has been asked if he is gay at public forums, including radio shows and political gatherings, and he has repeatedly denied it. But the whispering has just grown louder.
Finally, Max Linn, the Reform Party candidate for governor, went on an Orlando radio show in September and blurted it out loud: He said he would “swear on a stack of Bibles that Crist is gay.” Linn followed up that appearance by going on WFTL radio on Oct. 11, National Coming Out Day, and urging Crist to come out of the closet. Linn said Crist told him he preferred men when the two participated in a political leadership program in St. Petersburg together in the 1980s. He said it is “common knowledge” in Tallahassee that Crist is gay or bisexual. By hiding his sexual orientation, Crist is putting himself at risk for extortion plots, Linn asserted.
A candidate making such a claim about his opponent in a public forum is sure to grab headlines, right? Wrong. For the most part, the mainstream media have avoided the Crist-might-be-gay story. Linn’s “outing” of Crist received a brief mention in “the Buzz,” a political column in the St. Petersburg Times. But the state’s major dailies, including the South Florida Sun-Sentinel, the Miami Herald and the Palm Beach Post, did not even mention Linn’s on-air remarks. Nor have the cable news stations.
At this week’s televised debate between Crist and his Democratic opponent, Jim Davis, no one asked about the “g” question.
Is it newsworthy? Eric Hegedus, national president of the National Lesbian & Gay Journalists Association, said he doesn’t understand why the big media outlets aren’t picking up the Crist story. “Any time a politician talks about his or her opponent, that information can be relevant from a news standpoint,” Hegedus said. “He made the comments on the public airways.
And in the current political climate — in the wake of the Foley scandal — it is big news if you have a political candidate ‘outing’ another candidate.” Hegedus said he thinks reporters should question Linn about his motives in “outing” Crist and ask him what evidence he has to support his assertions that Crist is gay.
After all, Linn is running against Crist. But Hegedus sees no reason why the mainstream media should be squeamish about confronting Crist with his sexual orientation. “There’s nothing wrong with asking a candidate if he’s gay,” Hegedus said. “It’s just like asking him if he’s married, dating anyone or has children. There’s nothing shameful about being gay.” But if he says he’s not gay and there’s no definitive proof that he is, where do you go from there?
It’s an issue that editors and reporters have struggling with throughout the country, according to Kelly McBride, ethics group leader for the Poynter Institute, a journalism school and think tank in St. Petersburg, Fla.
Ethics expert: merely being gay not a story “I’m not surprised that the daily newspapers aren’t covering it,” McBride said. “If someone comes forward and says I worked with him and he gave me perks because I was having an affair with him, or he molested me, or he abused me in a relationship, that’s a different story. But the mere accusation that someone is gay is a non-story.”
McBride pointed out that in the cases of former Congressman Mark Foley, former New Jersey Gov. Jim McGreevey and former Spokane Mayor Jim West, “it was not the fact that they were gay that brought them down; it was the fact that they abused their power. If they had done that in a heterosexual relationship it would still be a story.”
McBride said exposing hypocrisy might be a legitimate reason for a newspaper to out a politician. “But if you’re going to use the hypocrisy threshold, first you have to prove that he’s gay,” she said. “Secondly, I think you have to demonstrate an anti-gay agenda, including a voting history and a clear anti-gay platform.”
Crist has taken some anti-gay positions, including signing a petition for an anti-gay marriage amendment and opposing the repeal of a law that prohibits gay men and lesbians from adopting children. But McBride said she didn’t think Crist’s overall record on gay issues met the “outing” threshold.
Dave Wilson, managing editor for news at the Miami Herald, defended his paper’s decision not to cover Linn’s outing of Crist. He noted that the Herald included information about Crist’s seven-month marriage and speculation about his sexual orientation in the first of a series of candidate profile pieces that the paper ran on Oct. 15. But the gay issue received only two lines in a lengthy story about Crist’s life. “Crist did not remarry and has faced widespread speculation about his sexuality,” Herald reporter Noah Bierman wrote. “He has said on several occasions that he is not gay.”
Wilson said Herald reporter Steve Rothaus, who is gay, has also addressed questions about Crist’s sexuality in his blog. But Wilson said he didn’t see any reason to devote much ink to the Crist gay angle. “We think we’ve done what’s appropriate in terms of our coverage,” Wilson said. “We think we’ve dealt with it. It’s just not something we view as important to the issues at this time. I want to know what kind of governor he’s going to be.”
Asked if he thought it was appropriate for reporters to ask a candidate if he’s gay, Wilson replied, “No, I don’t think it’s appropriate to ask if he’s gay any more than I think it’s appropriate to ask a job candidate or a tenant if he or she is gay.” Wilson said if something surfaced about a candidate’s private life that was illegal, “that would be worthy of investigation.” Scott Montgomery, political editor for the St. Petersburg Times, said the speculation about Crist’s sexual orientation “has been mentioned in our coverage here and there.” “We’ve never done a separate story on it because it never seems to go anywhere,” Montgomery said. “None of the rumors you hear actually involve him dating anybody. Crist is not spending a lot of time gay bashing on the campaign trial. So do you spend a lot of time chasing a ghost? How much time do you spend on a whisper campaign?”
By PHIL LAPADULA Friday, October 27, 2006
It may be the loudest “whisper campaign” in Florida history. The internet blogs have been blazing for months with unverified rumors that Charlie Crist, the state’s attorney general and Republican candidate for governor, is gay.
Crist has been asked if he is gay at public forums, including radio shows and political gatherings, and he has repeatedly denied it. But the whispering has just grown louder.
Finally, Max Linn, the Reform Party candidate for governor, went on an Orlando radio show in September and blurted it out loud: He said he would “swear on a stack of Bibles that Crist is gay.” Linn followed up that appearance by going on WFTL radio on Oct. 11, National Coming Out Day, and urging Crist to come out of the closet. Linn said Crist told him he preferred men when the two participated in a political leadership program in St. Petersburg together in the 1980s. He said it is “common knowledge” in Tallahassee that Crist is gay or bisexual. By hiding his sexual orientation, Crist is putting himself at risk for extortion plots, Linn asserted.
A candidate making such a claim about his opponent in a public forum is sure to grab headlines, right? Wrong. For the most part, the mainstream media have avoided the Crist-might-be-gay story. Linn’s “outing” of Crist received a brief mention in “the Buzz,” a political column in the St. Petersburg Times. But the state’s major dailies, including the South Florida Sun-Sentinel, the Miami Herald and the Palm Beach Post, did not even mention Linn’s on-air remarks. Nor have the cable news stations.
At this week’s televised debate between Crist and his Democratic opponent, Jim Davis, no one asked about the “g” question.
Is it newsworthy? Eric Hegedus, national president of the National Lesbian & Gay Journalists Association, said he doesn’t understand why the big media outlets aren’t picking up the Crist story. “Any time a politician talks about his or her opponent, that information can be relevant from a news standpoint,” Hegedus said. “He made the comments on the public airways.
And in the current political climate — in the wake of the Foley scandal — it is big news if you have a political candidate ‘outing’ another candidate.” Hegedus said he thinks reporters should question Linn about his motives in “outing” Crist and ask him what evidence he has to support his assertions that Crist is gay.
After all, Linn is running against Crist. But Hegedus sees no reason why the mainstream media should be squeamish about confronting Crist with his sexual orientation. “There’s nothing wrong with asking a candidate if he’s gay,” Hegedus said. “It’s just like asking him if he’s married, dating anyone or has children. There’s nothing shameful about being gay.” But if he says he’s not gay and there’s no definitive proof that he is, where do you go from there?
It’s an issue that editors and reporters have struggling with throughout the country, according to Kelly McBride, ethics group leader for the Poynter Institute, a journalism school and think tank in St. Petersburg, Fla.
Ethics expert: merely being gay not a story “I’m not surprised that the daily newspapers aren’t covering it,” McBride said. “If someone comes forward and says I worked with him and he gave me perks because I was having an affair with him, or he molested me, or he abused me in a relationship, that’s a different story. But the mere accusation that someone is gay is a non-story.”
McBride pointed out that in the cases of former Congressman Mark Foley, former New Jersey Gov. Jim McGreevey and former Spokane Mayor Jim West, “it was not the fact that they were gay that brought them down; it was the fact that they abused their power. If they had done that in a heterosexual relationship it would still be a story.”
McBride said exposing hypocrisy might be a legitimate reason for a newspaper to out a politician. “But if you’re going to use the hypocrisy threshold, first you have to prove that he’s gay,” she said. “Secondly, I think you have to demonstrate an anti-gay agenda, including a voting history and a clear anti-gay platform.”
Crist has taken some anti-gay positions, including signing a petition for an anti-gay marriage amendment and opposing the repeal of a law that prohibits gay men and lesbians from adopting children. But McBride said she didn’t think Crist’s overall record on gay issues met the “outing” threshold.
Dave Wilson, managing editor for news at the Miami Herald, defended his paper’s decision not to cover Linn’s outing of Crist. He noted that the Herald included information about Crist’s seven-month marriage and speculation about his sexual orientation in the first of a series of candidate profile pieces that the paper ran on Oct. 15. But the gay issue received only two lines in a lengthy story about Crist’s life. “Crist did not remarry and has faced widespread speculation about his sexuality,” Herald reporter Noah Bierman wrote. “He has said on several occasions that he is not gay.”
Wilson said Herald reporter Steve Rothaus, who is gay, has also addressed questions about Crist’s sexuality in his blog. But Wilson said he didn’t see any reason to devote much ink to the Crist gay angle. “We think we’ve done what’s appropriate in terms of our coverage,” Wilson said. “We think we’ve dealt with it. It’s just not something we view as important to the issues at this time. I want to know what kind of governor he’s going to be.”
Asked if he thought it was appropriate for reporters to ask a candidate if he’s gay, Wilson replied, “No, I don’t think it’s appropriate to ask if he’s gay any more than I think it’s appropriate to ask a job candidate or a tenant if he or she is gay.” Wilson said if something surfaced about a candidate’s private life that was illegal, “that would be worthy of investigation.” Scott Montgomery, political editor for the St. Petersburg Times, said the speculation about Crist’s sexual orientation “has been mentioned in our coverage here and there.” “We’ve never done a separate story on it because it never seems to go anywhere,” Montgomery said. “None of the rumors you hear actually involve him dating anybody. Crist is not spending a lot of time gay bashing on the campaign trial. So do you spend a lot of time chasing a ghost? How much time do you spend on a whisper campaign?”
Gay Couple Refuses To Pay Taxes Until Australia Recognizes Same-Sex Marriageby 365Gay.com Newscenter Staff
October 30, 2006 - 9:00 pm ET
(Sydney, Australia) A Sydney same-sex couple is refusing to file tax returns until the government allows them to submit a joint return as a married couple.
Australian Marriage Equality said the couple was legally married overseas and in past years had been allowed to file jointly but this year the Australian Tax Office changed its form, asking the sex of of spouses.
After submitting their return on line it was rejected. When they complained the men received a letter from the ATO saying that under the Income Tax Assessment Act of 1997 their marriage could not be recognized and that they were not entitled to name each other as spouse on their returns.
Australian Marriage Equality did not name the couple. Spokesperson Sharon Dane said the ATO decision was discriminatory.
"Same-sex couples should receive the same treatment as opposite-sex couples", she said.
The Tax Office says it is only following the law.
In 2004 the federal government passed a law defining marriage as a union between a man and a woman. Earlier this year the Australian Capital Territory passed legislation giving same-sex couples most of the rights of marriage (story) but the bill was overturned by the federal government.
That action prompted the Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission to begin an investigation into inequities faced by same-sex couples. The commission has been holding hearings across the country.
Earlier this month at a stop in Brisbane the mother of a gay man told commissioners the government is imposing an apartheid-type situation on gay and lesbian couples. (story)"The Federal Government is really persecuting the gays for something they can't help," Shelley Argent said.
"It's like the South Africans. They persecuted the blacks for something they couldn't help."
Meanwhile the ACT government has announced plans to reintroduce a modified version of laws allowing for civil partnerships.
Public opinion has been slowly shifting in favor of recognizing same-sex relationships and Prime Minister John Howard now has suggested his government may look at ways of granting limited recognition to same-sex couples. But Howard said he has no intention of repealing the ban on gay marriage.
©365Gay.com 2006
October 30, 2006 - 9:00 pm ET
(Sydney, Australia) A Sydney same-sex couple is refusing to file tax returns until the government allows them to submit a joint return as a married couple.
Australian Marriage Equality said the couple was legally married overseas and in past years had been allowed to file jointly but this year the Australian Tax Office changed its form, asking the sex of of spouses.
After submitting their return on line it was rejected. When they complained the men received a letter from the ATO saying that under the Income Tax Assessment Act of 1997 their marriage could not be recognized and that they were not entitled to name each other as spouse on their returns.
Australian Marriage Equality did not name the couple. Spokesperson Sharon Dane said the ATO decision was discriminatory.
"Same-sex couples should receive the same treatment as opposite-sex couples", she said.
The Tax Office says it is only following the law.
In 2004 the federal government passed a law defining marriage as a union between a man and a woman. Earlier this year the Australian Capital Territory passed legislation giving same-sex couples most of the rights of marriage (story) but the bill was overturned by the federal government.
That action prompted the Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission to begin an investigation into inequities faced by same-sex couples. The commission has been holding hearings across the country.
Earlier this month at a stop in Brisbane the mother of a gay man told commissioners the government is imposing an apartheid-type situation on gay and lesbian couples. (story)"The Federal Government is really persecuting the gays for something they can't help," Shelley Argent said.
"It's like the South Africans. They persecuted the blacks for something they couldn't help."
Meanwhile the ACT government has announced plans to reintroduce a modified version of laws allowing for civil partnerships.
Public opinion has been slowly shifting in favor of recognizing same-sex relationships and Prime Minister John Howard now has suggested his government may look at ways of granting limited recognition to same-sex couples. But Howard said he has no intention of repealing the ban on gay marriage.
©365Gay.com 2006
Monday, October 30, 2006
Gay Mega Church Joins Mainstream Denominationby 365Gay.com Newscenter Staff
October 29, 2006 - 4:00 pm ET
(Dallas, Texas) The Cathedral of Hope, regarded as the world's largest gay church, has joined the United Church of Christ.
In a vote taken Saturday, Oct. 28, by the denomination's North Texas Association, the church was overwhelmingly accepted as a member church.
A special service of installation, at which the church will officially become a member of the denomination, is being planned, the cathedral said in a statement on Sunday.
"This is a historic day in the life of the Cathedral of Hope," said Rev. Dr. Jo Hudson, senior pastor and rector of the cathedral.
The cathedral began in 1970 when a group of 12 people gathered to worship in Dallas. It joined the predominantly gay Metropolitan Community Church, and saw its membership steadily grow. By 2002 it had a membership of nearly 2,000 people.
But it relationship with MCC soured and in 2003 it disaffiliated from the denomination. Shortly after than it began an exploration of affiliating with the United Church of Christ.
"We are blessed to be a full partner in ministry with the North Texas Association and the United Church of Christ," said Hudson. "We celebrate that our values of compassion, inclusion, tolerance and hope in service to the world by following Jesus are consistent with those of the United Church of Christ. We are proud to be a part of such a diverse body of churches and people."
The United Church of Christ has a history of supporting gays in its denomination, dating to 1972, when it ordained the first openly gay minister and established a gay caucus.
The General Synod of the United Church of Christ voted in 2005 to endorse same-sex marriage, making it the largest Christian denomination in the country to do so. (story)
In 2004 the UCC caused a stir in the growing marriage debate when it created a television advertising campaign that featured a gay couple, among others, being excluded from a church. CBS and NBC rejected the 30-second ads. (story)
The 30-second commercial features two muscle-bound "bouncers" standing guard outside a picturesque church and selecting which persons are permitted to attend Sunday services. Written text interrupts the scene, announcing, "Jesus didn't turn people away. Neither do we." A narrator then proclaims the United Church of Christ's commitment that: "No matter who you are, or where you are on life's journey, you are welcome here."
It produced a second gay positive commercial this year that also was rejected by national networks but aired on cable.
Called "Ejector Seat," the ad employs humor to underscore one of the campaign's central themes, "God doesn't reject people. Neither do we."
The 30-second commercial begins with a shot of an African-American mother trying to calm a crying baby. Sitting in a church pew, the mother fidgets anxiously, as she endures disapproving looks from fellow worshippers. Eventually, someone in the wings pushes an "ejector" button to rid the church of her - and her noisy baby. Into the air they go flying.
In similar fashion, a gay couple, an Arab-American, a person using a walker, among others, get "ejected." Finally, when a homeless person wanders in and takes a seat, nervous parishioners - expecting she'll get the boot for sure - scoot away from her.
The commercial ends with a mood shift, where shots of diverse, friendly people set the stage for the announcer's invitation: "The United Church of Christ - no matter who you are, or where you are on life's journey, you're welcome here."
The UCC has 5,725 churches nationwide.
©365Gay.com 2006
October 29, 2006 - 4:00 pm ET
(Dallas, Texas) The Cathedral of Hope, regarded as the world's largest gay church, has joined the United Church of Christ.
In a vote taken Saturday, Oct. 28, by the denomination's North Texas Association, the church was overwhelmingly accepted as a member church.
A special service of installation, at which the church will officially become a member of the denomination, is being planned, the cathedral said in a statement on Sunday.
"This is a historic day in the life of the Cathedral of Hope," said Rev. Dr. Jo Hudson, senior pastor and rector of the cathedral.
The cathedral began in 1970 when a group of 12 people gathered to worship in Dallas. It joined the predominantly gay Metropolitan Community Church, and saw its membership steadily grow. By 2002 it had a membership of nearly 2,000 people.
But it relationship with MCC soured and in 2003 it disaffiliated from the denomination. Shortly after than it began an exploration of affiliating with the United Church of Christ.
"We are blessed to be a full partner in ministry with the North Texas Association and the United Church of Christ," said Hudson. "We celebrate that our values of compassion, inclusion, tolerance and hope in service to the world by following Jesus are consistent with those of the United Church of Christ. We are proud to be a part of such a diverse body of churches and people."
The United Church of Christ has a history of supporting gays in its denomination, dating to 1972, when it ordained the first openly gay minister and established a gay caucus.
The General Synod of the United Church of Christ voted in 2005 to endorse same-sex marriage, making it the largest Christian denomination in the country to do so. (story)
In 2004 the UCC caused a stir in the growing marriage debate when it created a television advertising campaign that featured a gay couple, among others, being excluded from a church. CBS and NBC rejected the 30-second ads. (story)
The 30-second commercial features two muscle-bound "bouncers" standing guard outside a picturesque church and selecting which persons are permitted to attend Sunday services. Written text interrupts the scene, announcing, "Jesus didn't turn people away. Neither do we." A narrator then proclaims the United Church of Christ's commitment that: "No matter who you are, or where you are on life's journey, you are welcome here."
It produced a second gay positive commercial this year that also was rejected by national networks but aired on cable.
Called "Ejector Seat," the ad employs humor to underscore one of the campaign's central themes, "God doesn't reject people. Neither do we."
The 30-second commercial begins with a shot of an African-American mother trying to calm a crying baby. Sitting in a church pew, the mother fidgets anxiously, as she endures disapproving looks from fellow worshippers. Eventually, someone in the wings pushes an "ejector" button to rid the church of her - and her noisy baby. Into the air they go flying.
In similar fashion, a gay couple, an Arab-American, a person using a walker, among others, get "ejected." Finally, when a homeless person wanders in and takes a seat, nervous parishioners - expecting she'll get the boot for sure - scoot away from her.
The commercial ends with a mood shift, where shots of diverse, friendly people set the stage for the announcer's invitation: "The United Church of Christ - no matter who you are, or where you are on life's journey, you're welcome here."
The UCC has 5,725 churches nationwide.
©365Gay.com 2006
SAN FRANCISCO Faith leaders from around world call helping poor a religious value Workplace issues, foreign aid addressed in 2 conferences -
Matthai Chakko Kuruvila, Chronicle Religion WriterSaturday, October 28, 2006
Religious leaders from around California and the world gathered in San Francisco this week and urged believers to address poverty as a critical issue of faith, focusing separately on the workplace and increasing foreign aid as primary goals.
The two conferences brought together distinct audiences, one gathering of leaders of varied faiths and the other focused specifically on Catholics. But the successive events both urged those gathered to understand that tackling poverty is a religious value.
"What gives meaning to our calling as clergy is that we advocate for justice," said Rabbi Laurie Coskey, director of the Interfaith Committee for Worker Justice in San Diego and the co-organizer of the Clergy and Laity United for Economic Justice at the Ramada Hotel downtown. "For us, that means the workplace."
Religious values have increasingly come into the public sphere in recent years, though several attendees at the two conferences lamented that religious morals are often narrowly defined as only involving abortion or same-sex marriage.
Wedge issues have prevented many faith leaders from seeing the struggles of their own communities, said the Rev. James Lawson, a leader in the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee and other civil rights groups in the 1960s.
"We have not been concerned for people in the pews, how they earn their living," said Lawson, who spoke at the workplace conference on Thursday. "We have not worked on that even in our own congregations."
Those gathered at the multifaith workplace conference said that issues such as wage discrimination and the lack of affordable health insurance are deteriorating family structures and leaving children without adequate health care.
They hope to effect change by working with politicians and business leaders, starting with those who attend their congregations. They also believe that faith communities ought to bear witness to economic justice, lending their credibility and moral voice.
While the workplace conference was structured around local issues, Catholic leaders were looking globally in the other conference -- a testament, in part, to the expansive reach of the Catholic church. Catholics account for 17 percent of the world's population, according to U.S. government statistics.
Speakers from India, Brazil and Kenya spoke at St. Mary's Cathedral about the need to address issues such as the trafficking of sex workers, bonded labor and increasing access to clean water and sanitation.
But the primary goal of the conference, called Mobilizing American Catholic Faithful to End Global Poverty, was to increase the amount of foreign aid sent from the United States, from roughly 0.2 percent of the national income to 0.7 percent.
John Donahue, a former professor of biblical studies at the Jesuit School of Theology in Berkeley, said it would be a mistake to think of addressing poverty as "a matter of charity or benefaction."
Americans too often think of what they are giving to less-fortunate nations, rather than what they can learn through those relationships, he said.
"The poor may not teach us in another country how to make the best automated can openers," Donahue said. "But they may well teach us how to be human, how to be Christian."
The two-day conference on Catholic responses to poverty continues today at St. Mary's Cathedral. While Friday's events focused on hearing the needs of the poor, today's events will focus on leading Catholics to action.
"In any organization, there's a lot of talk, but not necessarily action," said Jehane Jones, 49, of Redwood City. "I'm anxious to see the action."
E-mail Matthai Chakko Kuruvila at mkuruvila@sfchronicle.com.
Matthai Chakko Kuruvila, Chronicle Religion WriterSaturday, October 28, 2006
Religious leaders from around California and the world gathered in San Francisco this week and urged believers to address poverty as a critical issue of faith, focusing separately on the workplace and increasing foreign aid as primary goals.
The two conferences brought together distinct audiences, one gathering of leaders of varied faiths and the other focused specifically on Catholics. But the successive events both urged those gathered to understand that tackling poverty is a religious value.
"What gives meaning to our calling as clergy is that we advocate for justice," said Rabbi Laurie Coskey, director of the Interfaith Committee for Worker Justice in San Diego and the co-organizer of the Clergy and Laity United for Economic Justice at the Ramada Hotel downtown. "For us, that means the workplace."
Religious values have increasingly come into the public sphere in recent years, though several attendees at the two conferences lamented that religious morals are often narrowly defined as only involving abortion or same-sex marriage.
Wedge issues have prevented many faith leaders from seeing the struggles of their own communities, said the Rev. James Lawson, a leader in the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee and other civil rights groups in the 1960s.
"We have not been concerned for people in the pews, how they earn their living," said Lawson, who spoke at the workplace conference on Thursday. "We have not worked on that even in our own congregations."
Those gathered at the multifaith workplace conference said that issues such as wage discrimination and the lack of affordable health insurance are deteriorating family structures and leaving children without adequate health care.
They hope to effect change by working with politicians and business leaders, starting with those who attend their congregations. They also believe that faith communities ought to bear witness to economic justice, lending their credibility and moral voice.
While the workplace conference was structured around local issues, Catholic leaders were looking globally in the other conference -- a testament, in part, to the expansive reach of the Catholic church. Catholics account for 17 percent of the world's population, according to U.S. government statistics.
Speakers from India, Brazil and Kenya spoke at St. Mary's Cathedral about the need to address issues such as the trafficking of sex workers, bonded labor and increasing access to clean water and sanitation.
But the primary goal of the conference, called Mobilizing American Catholic Faithful to End Global Poverty, was to increase the amount of foreign aid sent from the United States, from roughly 0.2 percent of the national income to 0.7 percent.
John Donahue, a former professor of biblical studies at the Jesuit School of Theology in Berkeley, said it would be a mistake to think of addressing poverty as "a matter of charity or benefaction."
Americans too often think of what they are giving to less-fortunate nations, rather than what they can learn through those relationships, he said.
"The poor may not teach us in another country how to make the best automated can openers," Donahue said. "But they may well teach us how to be human, how to be Christian."
The two-day conference on Catholic responses to poverty continues today at St. Mary's Cathedral. While Friday's events focused on hearing the needs of the poor, today's events will focus on leading Catholics to action.
"In any organization, there's a lot of talk, but not necessarily action," said Jehane Jones, 49, of Redwood City. "I'm anxious to see the action."
E-mail Matthai Chakko Kuruvila at mkuruvila@sfchronicle.com.
Religious right to lose influence no matter who Florida's next governor is
By S.V. Date - Palm Beach PostMonday, October 30, 2006 -
Democrat Jim Davis speaks about getting the government out of religion. Republican Charlie Crist calls religion a private matter.
Both candidates for governor have staked out positions on social issues contrary to the wishes of many Christian conservatives -- and to those taken by Gov. Jeb Bush, who has been a champion of their causes, from vouchers for religious schools to programs opposing abortions.Gubernatorial issues: Religion
How the candidates for governor -- Republican Charlie Crist and Democrat Jim Davis -- compare on religious issues:
Social service money
Crist: Supports the use of religious groups for the distribution of state services but only when there are performance measures in place to provide public accountability.
Davis: Supports the use of religious groups for the distribution of state services, but only when there are performance measures in place to provide public accountability.
Ten Commandments displays
Crist: Supports public displays of the Ten Commandments when the money involved is small and exposure is limited so as not to offend those of non-monotheistic faiths.
Davis: Supports the display of the Ten Commandments, but only as a historical document in the context of other historical documents.
Abortion
Crist: Describes himself as 'pro-life,' but says he respects those with the opposing view. He said this summer that he would sign a bill banning abortion except in the cases of rape, incest and to save the life of the mother, but said recently that, given the state constitution's privacy clause, such a bill would be unconstitutional in Florida and likely would not pass the legislature.
Davis: Supports a woman's right to an abortion.
Stem-cell research
Crist: Supports state money for embryonic stem-cell research.
Davis: Supports state money for embryonic stem-cell research and cites the publicly subsidized Scripps Research Institute in Palm Beach County as an example of a group that could take advantage of a position different from Gov. Jeb Bush's.
Gay marriage/Civil unions
Crist: Opposes marriage for gay couples; supports civil unions.
Davis: Opposes marriage for gay couples; supports civil unions.
Vouchers
Crist: Supports a constitutional amendment that would let public money go to private and religious schools in the form of vouchers, an idea that the Florida Supreme Court has ruled is not permitted under the state constitution.
Davis: Opposes sending public money to private and religious schools.
The next governor candidates' debateWhen: 7 p.m. MondayWhere: News Channel 8, Tampa.Moderator: Chris Matthews, host of MSNBC's Hardball.Local broadcast: NBC affiliate WPTV News Channel 5, West Palm Beach.
By S.V. Date - Palm Beach PostMonday, October 30, 2006 -
Democrat Jim Davis speaks about getting the government out of religion. Republican Charlie Crist calls religion a private matter.
Both candidates for governor have staked out positions on social issues contrary to the wishes of many Christian conservatives -- and to those taken by Gov. Jeb Bush, who has been a champion of their causes, from vouchers for religious schools to programs opposing abortions.Gubernatorial issues: Religion
How the candidates for governor -- Republican Charlie Crist and Democrat Jim Davis -- compare on religious issues:
Social service money
Crist: Supports the use of religious groups for the distribution of state services but only when there are performance measures in place to provide public accountability.
Davis: Supports the use of religious groups for the distribution of state services, but only when there are performance measures in place to provide public accountability.
Ten Commandments displays
Crist: Supports public displays of the Ten Commandments when the money involved is small and exposure is limited so as not to offend those of non-monotheistic faiths.
Davis: Supports the display of the Ten Commandments, but only as a historical document in the context of other historical documents.
Abortion
Crist: Describes himself as 'pro-life,' but says he respects those with the opposing view. He said this summer that he would sign a bill banning abortion except in the cases of rape, incest and to save the life of the mother, but said recently that, given the state constitution's privacy clause, such a bill would be unconstitutional in Florida and likely would not pass the legislature.
Davis: Supports a woman's right to an abortion.
Stem-cell research
Crist: Supports state money for embryonic stem-cell research.
Davis: Supports state money for embryonic stem-cell research and cites the publicly subsidized Scripps Research Institute in Palm Beach County as an example of a group that could take advantage of a position different from Gov. Jeb Bush's.
Gay marriage/Civil unions
Crist: Opposes marriage for gay couples; supports civil unions.
Davis: Opposes marriage for gay couples; supports civil unions.
Vouchers
Crist: Supports a constitutional amendment that would let public money go to private and religious schools in the form of vouchers, an idea that the Florida Supreme Court has ruled is not permitted under the state constitution.
Davis: Opposes sending public money to private and religious schools.
The next governor candidates' debateWhen: 7 p.m. MondayWhere: News Channel 8, Tampa.Moderator: Chris Matthews, host of MSNBC's Hardball.Local broadcast: NBC affiliate WPTV News Channel 5, West Palm Beach.
Sunday, October 29, 2006
Right Wing Wants Trans Lawmaker Banned From 'Ladies Room'
by 365Gay.com Newscenter Staff
October 27, 2006 - 5:00 pm ET
(Rome) A long simmering dispute over the use of the women's bathroom by a transsexual member of Italy's Parliament erupted into a full scale battle on Friday
Elisabetta Gardini, a member of the right-of-center opposition, got into a shouting match with Vladimir Luxuria, the first transsexual elected to a European Parliament when Gardini walked into the washroom and discovered Luxuria emerging from a stall.
"You can't use this lavatory. This is the women's bathroom," Luxuria says Gardini yelled at her.
Luxuria is demanding an apology. Gardini has fired off a letter to the government demanding the pre-operative transsexual be banned from the ladies room.
"I saw him there and I really felt sick," she told reporters. "He should have a bathroom just for himself," she said.
Luxuria called her own news conference to accuse the right wing politician of trying to make political points with her conservative coalition members.
"I have been using women's bathrooms for years. I would have never expected an attack with such violent tones," Luxuria said. "It would be very embarrassing for me to use the men's bathroom. For me, and for the men themselves."
The dispute over the bathroom has been ongoing since March when she was elected.
In May, as the new Parliament began meeting members of the right-of-center first called for a separate washroom. At the time Luxuria called it "toilet apartheid".
Luxuria was one of five LGBT candidates elected to the Italian parliament - all members of Prodi's center-left. (story)
She is a popular fixture in Rome's LGBT community. She was a cabaret performer and in 1994 organized the county's first gay pride march.
Luxuria promised her Rome constituents she would fight for LGBT rights including the legal recognition of same-sex relationships.
Her party leader, Romano Prodi, has been a supporter of moderate rights for same-sex couples since last July when he met with gay activists, but he opposes gay marriage. (story)
©365Gay.com 2006
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